A Record Of A Mortal's Journey To Immortality

by S.H.A aifu

A poor and ordinary boy from a village joins a minor sect in Jiang Hu and becomes an Unofficial Disciple by chance. How will Han Li, a commoner by birth, establish a foothold for himself in his sect? With his mediocre aptitude, how will he successfully traverse the path of cultivation and become an immortal? This is a story of an ordinary mortal who, against all odds, clashes with

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"Who's there?" the armored cultivator exclaimed in shock. He immediately summoned a barrier or white light to protect himself, then made a hand seal as all of the puppet warriors began to shimmer with spiritual light and rose into the air at his behest.

The yellow-robed man's face paled upon seeing this, and he hurriedly yelled, "Wait, Brother Cao, this is Senior Han! Don't you dare attack him!"

"Senior Han?" The armor-clad man had no idea who that was.

However, the yellow-robed man's cultivation base was comparable to his, and he was clearly extremely wary of this Senior Han, so it could be deduced that he was definitely not just some ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. Otherwise, with the two of them situated within this spatial pocket, they would be powerful enough to combat even an early-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Could it be that this Senior Han was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator? That would not be something that he and a few puppets could handle.

With that in mind, the armor-clad man hurriedly swept his spiritual sense toward the warrior puppets, making them descend onto the ground again.

The unfamiliar male voice harrumphed coldly. "You've made the right decision. I was about to teach you a lesson there."

Immediately thereafter, azure light flashed above their heads, and an azure-robed man with his arms crossed appeared in the air above, looking down at the two of them with a cold expression.

The armor-clad man swept his spiritual sense toward that man, upon which a shiver ran down his spine, and an expression of incredulity and horror appeared on his face.

The man up above had made no effort to hide his cultivation base, and he was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator!

But when had a new great cultivator by the surname of Han appeared in the Great Jin? Why had he never heard of such a great cultivator?

The armor-clad man shuddered with lingering fear as he thought back to how close the puppets had been to attacking this man, and he hurriedly rose into the air before extending a deep bow.

"My apologies, Senior. Please forgive me for any offense I may have caused!"

The young man up above remained expressionless and didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the hovering palace nearby, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, the armor-clad cultivator down below was sweating profusely, and he didn't dare to stand up straight again without receiving an instruction permitting him to do so. After all, virtually all Nascent Soul cultivators had peculiar, and often foul tempers, so it would be very easy to irk them. He didn't want to be killed due to an oversight on his own part.

Thankfully, the yellow-robed man swooped in to save him.

A wry smile appeared on his face as he rose into the air, and he also bowed deeply as he asked, "Senior Han, didn't you say that you were going to give me several months to inform the pavilion master of this matter? Why have you followed me here?"

"I have limited time and no longer want to wait any longer, so I decided to come here to speak with your pavilion master in person. So this is the legendary Hidden Fortune Palace, right? I had heard that this palace was situated in a spatial pocket, and an extremely rare free radical spatial pocket, at that. The location of its entrance will automatically self-adjust once every few years, so normal cultivators would never be able to find it. After coming here for myself today, I can see that this is indeed an extraordinary place. You can get up now. You're a guard here and you were only doing your duty, so I won't take your actions to heart. However, I do want to see your pavilion master, so you can lead the way there for me." The young man turned to the armor-clad cultivator with an implacable look on his face.

Cao Weifeng was quite relieved after hearing the first half of Han Li's sentence, but his heart clenched tightly again upon hearing Han Li's instructions, and he turned to the yellow-robed man for help.

In all honesty, he still didn't even know why this great cultivator was here, nor whether he was friend or foe!

The yellow-robed man's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and after a brief hesitation, he turned to Cao Weifeng with a slight nod.

The armor-clad cultivator no longer hesitated any longer upon seeing this as he hurriedly asked, "I would be happy to lead the way to our palace master, but he's currently entertaining a guest. Please allow me to inform our palace master of your arrival, then take you to him. Is that alright, Senior Han?"

"He's entertaining a guest?" A hint of surprise appeared in the young man's eyes, but he still nodded expressionlessly.

The armor-clad man was ecstatic. He hurriedly pulled out a voice transmission talisman from his storage pouch, then spoke into it in an urgent voice before releasing it into the palace.

After doing all that, he gave the young man up above a fawning smile before stepping up the jade staircase, leading the way to the palace master.

The yellow-robed man also hurriedly followed along behind them.

However, both of them were forging ahead on foot rather than flying up the jade staircase.

There's a flight restriction!

The young man's brows furrowed upon making this discovery, but a cold smile immediately appeared on his face as he rose into the air as a streak of azure light, seemingly completely unaffected by the flight restriction.

The two people down below could only exchange wry smiles upon seeing this.

The surrounding flight restriction was able to prevent all cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage from rising more than three feet into the air. However, it was obviously next to completely ineffective against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator like Han Li.

The young man hovering in the air didn't seem to want to excessively challenge the palace master's authority, either, as he was flying slowly behind the two Core Formation cultivators, rather than accelerating and speeding up the staircase.

This young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had arrived in the Great Jin.

Even though his cultivation base had taken large strides, it still took him half a year to reach the Great Jin through the Moulan Plains.

As he was passing through the plains, he encountered no difficulties whatsoever, and that leg of the journey had been extremely smooth.

This was rather surprising to Han Li.

He had prepared himself to teach the immortals of the Soaring Tribe a lesson as he passed through. After all, he had almost been killed by those Soaring Tribe cultivators once upon a time.

However, along the way, he only encountered some low-grade immortals, and not even a single one at the Core Formation Stage or above.

Only after doing research did he understand the reason for this. It turned out that over 100 years ago, the Endless Sky Saintess and the Illustrious Grand Immortal issued a joint order, gathering all of the high-grade immortals to the Endless Sky Temple to engage in seclusion for some unknown reason. Without orders or permission for them to leave, they were prohibited from exiting the temple. Through this order, the Endless Sky Saintess and the Illustrious Grand Immortal seemed to be trying to forcibly increase the overall power of the cultivation world in the Soaring Tribe.

Han Li was naturally a little disappointed after hearing about this information. However, he certainly wasn't going to rush over to the Endless Sky Temple to hunt them.

After all, the Soaring Tribe was quite a force to be reckoned with, and if he were to attack the Endless Sky Temple, he'd be facing the might of their entire tribe rather than just a single cultivator or two. This was different from killing that Elder Ximen of the Star Palace, whom he had a personal vendetta against. The power of the entire Soaring Tribe was something that he still had to be rather wary of.

With that in mind, Han Li relinquished his plan to pick on the Soaring Tribe, leaving the Moulans Plains and continuing his travels toward the Great Jin.

Obtaining the refinement method for the spatial pocket was simpler and less time-consuming than the other two things that he had to do, so he decided to take care of this matter first.

He first visited a renowned market in a certain state within the Great Jin, then tracked down a branch of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. He told the shopkeeper of the branch, who was the yellow-robed man, that he wanted to purchase the refinement method for the spatial pocket.

If a normal Nascent Soul cultivator had stated such a request, the shopkeeper would've most definitely rejected him without a second thought.

However, Han Li hadn't been hiding his cultivation base in the slightest, and the late-Core Formation Stage shopkeeper was petrified to be in the presence of a great cultivator. As such, he could only offer a respectful smile as well as a rather uneasy explanation.

He had no right to even know the refinement method for a spatial pocket, let alone sell it. As such, he would have to ask the master of the Hidden Fortune Palace for a verdict. This was quite an important matter, so it would be inappropriate just to send out a voice transmission talisman. Thus, he had to pay a visit to the palace in person, and he was asking for Han Li to wait two to three months for his reply.

Han Li felt this to be quite reasonable, so he agreed.

However, he wasn't actually just going to sit around and wait for so long. Instead, he unleashed a secret technique to track the yellow-robed man to this place.

As far as he was aware, even though the Hidden Fortune Pavilion was supposed to be just a chain of shops, they actually had connections with many of the renowned righteous sects, as well as Devil Dao sects. Furthermore, they also had a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator as their guest grand elder. Very little was known about this guest grand elder, and he was an extremely mysterious character.

However, none of that mattered to Han Li.

As long as this guest grand elder wasn't the master of the Yin Sifting Palace, even if he were an elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect or the High Zenith Sect, it wouldn't have anything to do with him.

As such, even though he intended to secure this secret technique through intimidation, he wasn't going to really ask for it free of charge. Instead, he had already prepared a large quantity of spirit stones and rare materials in advance.

As such, there really was no reason for them to risk offending a great cultivator just to maintain the confidentiality of a secret technique that was more trouble than it was worth.

Upon reaching around the halfway mark on the staircase, the sound of a tolling bell suddenly rang out from the hovering palace, extending a welcome to the guest of the Hidden Fortune Palace.

A dozen or so streaks of light then shot forth from within the palace, soon revealing themselves to be a group of cultivators. All of the hovered in the air on either side of the entrance to the palace, seemingly unaffected by the flight restriction in place.

Two people emerged from the center of the group, standing side by side as they looked down on Han Li and the others.

Han Li's brows furrowed upon seeing this, but his expression quickly reverted back to the normal. He abruptly raised a foot and covered a distance of over 100 feet with a single step. Following a few more steps, he had abruptly appeared at the entrance of the palace, where he was directly facing the two people at the center of the group.

The cultivators on either side naturally burst into a frenzy upon seeing this, and some of them had even laid their hands on their storage pouches with panicked expressions on their faces.

"Insolence! Fellow Daoist Han is a guest of ours! You can all go away now." One of the two men in the center, a rather portly old man, scolded the two rows of cultivators beside him sternly before turning to Han Li with a smile.

Han Li inspected the old man with an indifferent expression as he asked, "Are you the lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion?"

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"Indeed, I am Can Ku, and I'm the lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. I was actually informed of the reason for your arrival earlier through a voice transmission talisman from Shopkeeper Zhang. This is not a suitable place to talk; how about we have a chat in the palace?" the old man suggested in a respectful manner as he extended a hand toward the palace gates.

He was wearing a different ring on each and every one of his 10 fingers, some of which were emanating piercing light, while others were completely dull and lackluster. It was a rather peculiar spectacle to behold.

Han Li glanced at the rings on the old man's hand with a nod before turning to the monk beside Can Ku, and he asked, "I have no objections. May I ask your name?"

This monk was wearing a set of yellow monk robes, and his features were quite youthful, making him appear as if he were a 16 or 17-year-old young man. However, the fearsome spiritual pressure radiating from his body suggested that he was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

"I am Yan Zhu." The youthful monk smiled as he brought his palms together in a Buddhist salute.

"Yan Zhu?" Han Li murmured to himself, but he was drawing a complete blank.

However, that wasn't something to be alarmed about. After all, the high-grade cultivators of the four major Buddhist sects were all quite secretive to begin with, and Han Li wasn't from the Great Jin, so it was no surprise that he hadn't heard of this monk.

However, a hint of befuddlement flashed through the eyes of the old man upon seeing the lack of reaction from Han Li. Even though he had disguised it quite well, Han Li was far too cautious to let that detail escape his notice. His expression remained unchanged, but he was quickly thinking about his situation.

Could it be that this monk was supposed to be an extremely renowned cultivator? Otherwise, why would this lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion have displayed such a reaction?

In contrast, the youthful monk merely smiled and didn't say anything.

At this moment, the two Core Formation cultivators had also finally reached the palace gates, and they hurriedly extended bows toward the old man.

Can Ku issue a few instructions to the armor-clad Core Formation cultivator before sending him away, leaving only the yellow-robed man remaining behind.

He then led everyone into the Hidden Fortune Pavilion, where everyone took a seat in what clearly wasn't the main hall of the building. Of course, the yellow-robed man and all of the other Core Formation cultivators could only stand.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Han has paid our palace a visit in order to purchase the secret technique for refining a spatial pocket, is that correct?" Can Ku cut straight to the point.

"That's right, that is indeed the purpose of my visit." Han Li replied in a straightforward manner.

"Seeing as you're asking for this secret technique, you must've discovered a spatial rift and wish to refine it into a spatial pocket, but you don't want anyone else to know of its location, right?" Can Ku asked with a nonchalant smile.

This pavilion lord was only at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, but this was his territory. As such, even though he was treating Han Li in a respectful manner, he showed no intention of allowing Han Li to dominate proceedings.

"You've hit the nail right on the head," Han Li replied indifferently as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hehe, ever since our pavilion first created spatial pockets, there have been other fellow Daoists like you who have tried to obtain the refinement method from us. Those fellow Daoists were all in a similar situation as you're currently in, Brother Han; they all discovered spatial rifts and wished to refine those spatial rifts into their person spatial pockets, but didn't want anyone else to be aware of the spatial pocket's location. Furthermore, there has been no lack of great cultivators among those who have come to me seeking the refinement method," Can Ku chuckled.

"Oh? Did you agree to their request, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li was truly curious after hearing that.

"No! Every single one of those fellow Daoists promised me that they wouldn't divulge the refinement method to anyone else, but if we were to give them the secret technique, it wouldn't be something that's unique to our Hidden Fortune Pavilion anymore," Can Ku replied in a frank manner.

Han Li was silent for a moment before speculating in a meaningful voice, "I trust that you must have some alternative solution that you can offer, right? Otherwise, it would be quite unwise to turn down great cultivators like this, even for an organization as powerful as the Hidden Fortune Pavilion."

"You are indeed correct, Brother Han. Our Hidden Fortune Pavilion would naturally prefer to avoid offending powerful cultivators if possible. As such, even though we can't hand over the refinement method, we have a substitute that can also satisfy those fellow Daoists' requests," Can Ku replied with a carefree expression.

"A substitute?" Han Li was truly a little flabbergasted this time.

"Our pavilion has actually devised a set of formation tools a long time ago, and those tools can create a formation that can transform an area into a makeshift spatial pocket. I can't guarantee you that the result would be exactly identical to a true spatial pocket, but it's at least extremely similar," Can Ku announced confidently.

However, Han Li's brows furrowed upon hearing this, and he shook his head as he asked, "Is that so? Seeing as it's relying on the power of a restriction, a spatial pocket of this nature will surely have many flaws, right?"

"There will naturally be some flaws, but those flaws won't be an issue for someone like you, Brother Han," Can Ku replied nonchalantly.

"You really have piqued my interest now, Brother Can. Would you be able to elaborate on that further?" Han Li's expression had finally changed a little.

"There's not a whole lot of explaining to be done. Essentially, the former pavilion lord asked a few formation spell masters to create a spatial pocket formation based on the concept of a true spatial pocket. These formations were then virtually perfectly replicated in the form of formation tools that can be distributed. As long as the area isn't too large, the formation tools will suffice for creating a spatial pocket. As for flaws, there are only two; seeing as formation tools are being used, the spirit stone expenditure will naturally be quite high. It would take over 10,000 spirit stones to maintain a spatial pocket of this nature per year. Of course, if the spatial pocket itself contains a spirit vein, then those costs can be slightly lowered. Aside from that, the makeshift spatial pocket set up using these spatial tools will only be able to maintain itself for a maximum of 2,000 to 3,000 years. After that, the formation tools will lose their efficacy, and the entire spatial pocket would collapse. I'm sure that with your current wealth, the first condition can be easily met. As for the second flaw, as long as you're not planning to pass down this spatial pocket for many generations, the time limit should more than suffice for your needs. Even if we were to reach the Deity Transformation Stage, our lifespans would only be extended to just over 2,000 years anyway," Can Ku elaborated with a slightly smug expression on his face.

Han Li began to stroke his chin with a contemplative look upon hearing this.

"How about it? Are you interested in our pavilion's formation tools? If so, we'll be sure to sell you a set at a discounted price." A confident smile appeared on Can Ku's face, as if he were sure that Han Li would accept this arrangement.

However, in the next instant, Can Ku's smile abruptly stiffened.

After contemplating for a long while, Han Li shook his head, and said, "I still want the refinement method for the spatial pocket."

Not only did the yellow-robed Core Formation cultivator's expression change upon hearing this, even the monk named Yan Zhu had turned to appraise Han Li with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Can Ku's smile faded as he asked, "Seeing as you're so insistent, you must have your own considerations, but you should at least provide me with a plausible reason for your insistence, right, Fellow Daoist Han?" As he spoke, he was unconsciously tapping the jade armrest on his chair with his hand in a very rhythmic manner.

Han Li could see what Can Ku was doing, but he ignored it as he calmly replied, "It's quite simple; the spatial rift that I discovered is already displaying signs of instability. I don't believe that a mere set of formation tools can prevent spatial collapse should it arise. As such, I'm determined to obtain the refinement method," Han Li said in an implacable voice.

Can Ku's brows furrowed upon hearing this. It was quite clear that Han Li's reply was completely unexpected to him, and a hesitant look appeared on his face for the first time.

"You can have the refinement method for the spatial pocket if you want it, but you'll have to spar with me first." Right at this moment, an elderly voice sounded from somewhere. Immediately thereafter, silver light flashed and a streak of light shot forth into the palace. The silver light then faded to reveal a monk in silver obes.

Can Ku and Yan Zhu immediately rose to their feet and hurried extended respectful salutes toward the monk. Can Ku's expression lit up with elation as he greeted, "Master Yuan Zhi, you came!"

"Yan Zhu pays his respects to Senior Martial Brother Yuan Zhi!"

The two of them were treating the monk in an extremely respectful manner.

In contrast, Han Li remained seated in his chair as he appraised this monk with a somewhat intrigued expression.

This monk didn't appear to be as youthful as Yan Zhu, but he only looked to be around 30 years of age, and had a set of graceful and refined facial features. It was quite difficult to link this man to that elderly voice that had rung out earlier.

Unlike with Yan Zhu, Yuan Zhi was a name that Han Li had actually heard of. This monk seemed to be one of the three late-Nascent Soul Stage elders of the Lightning Sound Sect, which was one of the four major Buddhist sects.

In contrast with other Buddhist great cultivators, this man was extremely renowned throughout the Great Jin and at the same time, he was also one of the exceedingly rare Buddhist vajra protectors. That was the extent of Han Li's knowledge of this man.

Only after inspecting the silver-robed monk for a while did Han Li cup his fist in a salute. However, he remained seated his chair, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Master Yuan Zhi of the Lightning Sound Sect; I didn't you'd be the guest elder of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. Forgive me for my rudeness."

A slightly cold light flashed through the silver-robed monk's eyes at the sight of Han Li's lackadaisical display, and he asked coldly, "Which sect are you from, Fellow Daoist Han? I don't recall ever hearing about you."

"It's no surprise that you don't recognize me, Master Yuan Zhi; this is also the first time I've seen you!" Han Li chuckled lazily.

At this moment, Yan Zhu suddenly chuckled and said something quite unexpected. "Senior Martial Brother Yuan Zhi, this may be your first time seeing Benefactor Han, but it's definitely not the first time you've heard of him."

Han Li's expression changed slightly as he turned toward Yan Zhu.

Can Ku also faltered upon hearing this before a contemplative look appeared on his face.

"Oh? What do you mean by that Junior Martial Brother Yan Zhu?" The silver-robed monk was also a little taken aback.

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"Senior Martial Brother, have you forgotten about the devilish tribulation of the Kunwu Mountains and the demon beast rampage at the North Night Palace over 200 years ago? If I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Han had participated in both of those prominent events, and he certainly wasn't just an inconsequential bystander, either," Yan Zhu replied calmly.

The silver-robed monk's heart jolted with shock upon hearing this as he turned to appraise Han Li again. "Kunwu Mountains? North Night Palace? Could it be that this man is the fugitive wanted by the Yin Sifting Sect and the North Night Palace?"

"It's been so many years; I'm surprised there are still people who remember me. So? Are you planning to capture me and hand me over to those two powers?" Han Li's expression remained quite calm, as if he were completely unfazed by the prospect of having to battle these cultivators.

Can Ku's heart jolted upon hearing Han Li's blunt admission, and his smile became rather forced. "Haha, of course not, Brother Han. The Yin Sifting Sect and the North Night Palace are quite powerful, but they have nothing to do with our Hidden Fortune Pavilion, so there's no reason for us to do their bidding. However, I truly have heard a lot about you, Brother Han. I head that Old Devil Qian of the Yin Sifting Sect and Master Arctic Dragon of the North Night Palace had all fallen by your hands, is that true?"

"I don't think any of you will believe me if I were to tell you that I didn't kill Old Devil Qian and Master Arctic Dragon," Han Li replied with a cold smile.

The silver-robed monk's expression turned rather grim as he said, "I heard that you were only a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator at the time, Brother Han. If you really did slay two late-Nascent Soul great cultivators at your cultivation base at the time, then you must be extraordinarily powerful now that you've progressed to the late-Nascent Soul Stage yourself. I really am looking forward to sparring with you now, Fellow Daoist Han."

Upon hearing the monk's bold challenge, Can Ku hurriedly interjected, "Surely there's no need for that, Master Yuan Zhi! If Brother Han truly wants to purchase the refinement method for the spatial pocket, then I'm sure we can work out a deal."

It appeared that after learning about Han Li's resounding feats, the lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion had changed his mind and no longer wanted to pit their guest grand elder against Han Li.

"You won't sway my decision, Fellow Daoist Can Ku. Even without this matter concerning the spatial pocket, I'm still determined to spar with Fellow Daoist Han. I've been stuck at the late-Nascent Soul Stage for many years, and I've been looking for fellow Daoists of the same cultivation base to test my skills against, as well as to see if I can learn some things through sparring that will assist in taking me to the next level. If Fellow Daoist Han really is as powerful as the rumors suggest, then there's no way that I'm giving up on this opportunity." The silver-robed monk seemed to be very determined.

Can Ku's expression immediately soured upon hearing this, and he turned Yan Zhu for assistance.

"There's no need for you to feel troubled, Benefactor Can. This is only a sparring match, and it'll be mutually beneficial to both Senior Martial Brother Yuan Zhi and Fellow Daoist Han. In all honesty, I also want to witness the power of the most elite cultivator that the Heavenly South Region has to offer," Yan Zhu said with a smile.

Can Ku was completely speechless.

"You know where I came from?" Upon hearing mention of the Heavenly South Region, Han Li's heart stirred as his expression darkened.

Yan Zhu seemed to be able to glean Han Li's thoughts, and he replied in an unhurried manner, "There's no need to be alarmed, Brother Han. You're naturally extremely mysterious to normal cultivators, but for major powers like our Lightning Sound Sect, it's not difficult to track down your origins. Do you really think that the Yin Sifting Sect and the North Night Palace are unaware of this information? It's just that they're wary of your powers and are pretending to be oblivious. After all, both sects have lost a great cultivator each, as well as several other Nascent Soul elders. They're currently far too busy dealing with other sects that are trying to take advantage of the situation to plot against them, so they don't have the spare capacity to come after you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to live such a leisurely life in the Heavenly South Region these past years, Fellow Daoist Han."

Han Li's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he said, "That's true. I don't know about other sects, but the Yin Sifting Sect is most likely aware of my origins. However, I have no interest in sparring with a cultivator of the same cultivation base unless I stand to gain from it. Fellow Daoist Can Ku, I'm only willing to accept this challenge if you promise me that you'll hand over the refinement method should I defeat Master Yuan Zhi."

The silver-robed man faltered upon hearing this before turning to Can Ku.

Can Ku's expression became rather indecisive, but he made up his mind after a short while. A smile appeared on his face as he said, "Seeing as Fellow Daoist Han is this confident, it wouldn't be right for me to turn you down. If you can defeat Master Yuan Zhi in a sparring match, then I have no qualms offering up the refinement method for the spatial pocket."

Han Li chuckled as he rose to his feet, and immediately said, "That's all I needed to hear, Fellow Daoist Can Ku. Please enlighten me, Master Yuan Zhi. In all honesty, I'm actually very curious about Buddhist secret techniques as well; I hope you won't disappoint me, Master Yuan Zhi." His words sent a stir running through all of the Core Formation cultivators present. They were also clearly very much looking forward to the upcoming sparring match.

Meanwhile, Yan Zhu stood off to the side in silence with a profound smile on his face.

A cold smile appeared on the silver-robed monk's face, and a hint of ferocity had appeared on his refined features.

"The Hidden Fortune Palace won't be big enough to house a sparring match between the two of you; how about we take this outside, Fellow Daoists? I'm sure the flight restriction won't be an issue to either of you," Can Ku suggested.

"I have no objections." The silver-robed monk nodded in response.

"We'll do as you say, Pavilion Lord Can." Han Li also accepted this arrangement in a nonchalant manner.

Thus, all of them immediately made their way out of the palace.

Everyone else remained standing on the spot, while Han Li and the silver-robed monk rose into the air. Han Li did so as a streak of azure light, while a white lotus flower appeared beneath the monk's feet, slowly carrying him into the air.

Moments later, the two of them appeared in the sky high above the Hidden Fortune Palace, facing one another with a distance of several hundred feet between them.

The silver-robed monk stared at Han Li for a while before suddenly uttering a Buddhist prayer, upon which a layer of faint golden light appeared over his face.

Han Li's lackadaisical expression faded upon seeing this, and his brows furrowed as he suddenly asked, "I had heard that Master Yuan Zhi was a Buddhist vajra protector; could it be that you've cultivated the legendary Brightjade Arts?"

The silver-robed monk faltered slightly upon hearing Han Li identify his cultivation art, but a proud expression quickly appeared on his face as he replied, "Oh? I didn't think that you would be so knowledgeable about our Buddhist cultivation arts, Fellow Daoist Han. Indeed, I am cultivating the Brightjade Arts. Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Han."

He joined his palms together and began to utter a series of Buddhist chants, following which silver runes surfaced over his silver robes. At the same time, all of the skin on his body began to take on a faint golden hue, making him appear as if he were a golden Buddha that had descended upon this world.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his heart jolted slightly upon seeing this.

The signs displayed by the monk clearly indicated that he already mastered the fourth layer of the Brightjade Arts. This meant that his body was already as hard as the average treasure, so he would most likely be able to combat a normal flying sword with his bare hands alone.

However, if that was the extent of his powers, then he was naturally no match for Han Li.

Han Li wasted no further time with words as he swept his sleeve through the air. A crisp ringing sound immediately rang out as several tens of golden flying swords shot forth from his sleeve, transforming into streaks of light that were around a foot in length each as they circled around his body.

Immediately thereafter, Han Li made a hand seal and cast an incantation seal into the air.

All of the sword around him shuddered as they began to radiate brilliant golden light, multiplying by sevenfold in an instant to create several hundred identical streaks of light. All of a sudden, the entire sky had been illuminated by golden light, creating a dazzling and formidable golden wave.

Can Ku and all of the other spectating Core Formation cultivators' expressions changed in unison upon seeing this.

They could sense that just the golden swords that Han Li had summoned alone would be enough to vanquish an average Nascent Soul cultivator.

In contrast, the silver-robed monk's expression remained completely unchanged upon seeing this. He merely raised his hands, and red and green spiritual light shimmered in his hands at the same time, transforming into a crimson Buddhist staff that was several feet in length, as well as a string of shimmering green Buddhist beads.

Right at this moment, Han Li made another hand seal, and the several hundred streaks of golden light swept toward the silver-robed monk as a golden wave at Han Li's behest.

In response, the monk let loose a loud cry as he abruptly raised a hand. The crimson staff that he was holding immediately transformed into a crimson wyrm that pounced toward the wave of golden light. At the same time, he also raised the string of green Buddhist beast, which transformed into a green barrier of light that shielded his body within.

After doing all that, the monk cast his eyes downward and began to make a series of hand seals, appearing as if he were about to unleash some kind of extremely powerful ability.

Meanwhile, the crimson wyrm shot forth through the air and plunged headfirst into the golden light manifested from Han Li's Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

The wyrm was struck by over 100 swords at once, but it wasn't immediately torn into shreds as Han Li expected. Instead, it was baring its fangs and swinging its claws through the air, launching a ferocious counterattack against the golden swords around it.

"Myriad Year Flame Coral!" Han Li murmured to himself upon seeing this, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

After adding Auric Essence to all of his flying swords, they possessed immense destructive power. However, there were a few materials that in the human world that could still withstand his flying swords, and Myriad Year Flame Coral was one of those materials.

However, this material was even rarer than Auric Essence, yet this monk had somehow been able to source it and add it to his Buddhist staff. Furthermore, it appeared that the proportion of Myriad Year Flame Coral in the staff was quite high. Otherwise, it would definitely have been unable to remain unscathed in the face of so many flying swords.

Han Li was rather surprised by this development, and he immediately changed his plan of attack. A small proportion of his flying swords remained behind to combat the red wyrm while most of them skirted around and hurtled toward the silver-robed monk.

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The monk paid no heed to the oncoming streaks of golden light and continued to make his hand seals, seemingly very confident in the light barrier manifested by his string of Buddhist beads.

Han Li harrumphed coldly upon seeing this.

Scintillating golden light radiated from his flying swords, and they became even more fearsomely powerful.

A string of loud thumps erupted as the streaks of golden light crashed into the light barrier in unison, but it sounded as if they had struck a chunk of dead wood. The green light barrier tremored violently, but the golden swords were unable to puncture through it.

Han Li stirred upon seeing this as he made a hand seal.

All of a sudden, the streaks of golden light around the silver-robed monk rose into the air in unison.

Golden light abruptly began to radiate in all directions and it was as if a golden sun was rising into the sky.

After the incandescent golden light faded, a massive golden sword that was several tens of feet in length was revealed.

At this moment, Han Li pointed a finger without any hesitation.

The golden light shimmering on the surface of the huge sword dimmed, but a layer of white glacial light appeared in its place. Soon, thick layers of ice crystals had materialized transforming the sword into a gargantuan ice sword over 100 feet in length.

The entire sword was glittering and translucent, and all of the spectators drew a sharp breath in unison at the sight of its sheer enormity.

The silver monk's expression finally changed drastically upon seeing this.

Right at this moment, Han Li swept a hand downward with a cold expression, and uttered the word "slash".

The ice sword tremored before crashing downward with devastating force. Before it had even struck the green light barrier, fluctuations that were visible to the naked eye began to surface in the surrounding space. A loud screeching sound also erupted a the same time, and it was as if a glacial mountain were crashing down from the heavens.

The silver-robed monk was indeed quite confident in the durability of his green light barrier, but he definitely didn't dare to allow it to be struck by that fearsome attack.

As such, he uttered a Buddhist Chant, and the white lotus flower beneath his feet twirled, following which he disappeared along with the lotus amid a burst of seven-colored Buddhist light.

The giant sword's devastating attack struck thin air as a result.

In the next instant, a burst of white light flashed several tens of feet away, and the lotus flower appeared once again. The monk then also emerged above the white lotus and at the same time, he made a final hand seal to complete the sequence. A wave of astonishing spiritual pressure immediately surged forth from his body, and a massive projection around 50 to 60 feet tall suddenly materialized above his head.

This projection's entire body was shimmering with golden light, and its facial features were extremely sinister. It had a head of curly hair, and its upper body as entire nude. The projection was the spitting image of the legendary Buddhist Angry Eye Vajra.

As soon as the vajra projection appeared, the silver-robed monk immediately let loose a loud cry as he threw two punches toward the massive ice sword from afar.

A resounding boom rang out as the golden vajra projection emulated the monk's movements, striking out at the sword with its fists.

Two balls of golden light exploded, and the massive ice sword was sent flying through the air amid a thunderous boom, only managing to barely arrest its momentum after cartwheeling through the air several times.

Han Li hurriedly turned his gaze toward the sword, upon which a hint of shock surged through his heart.

He discovered that after being struck by the golden vajra projection, the layer of ice covering the section of the sword struck by the vajra's fists had been completely shattered, revealing the shimmering golden sword within.

Han Li was quite bewildered upon seeing this. The silver-robed monk appeared to be using a cultivation art that wasn't exactly the same as the Brightjade Arts, but somehow seemed to be related to it.

However, after refining all of his flying swords again during seclusion, there was an astonishing amount of Profound Jade infused into each and every sword, reaching the upper limit on the amount of Profound Jade each sword could contain. As such, there was definitely enough glacial Qi within the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords to support more than one attack.

As such, Han Li made a hand seal, and white glacial light surfaced on the section of the sword where the layer of ice had been shattered. The ice layer immediately repaired itself before the ice sword swept toward the monk again. The power imbued within the gargantuan ice sword was just as formidable as ever, making it appear as if the monk's last attack hadn't actually dealt it any substantial damage.

Only now was the silver-robed monk realizing what a troublesome prospect this massive ice sword was to deal with.

His expression darkened, yet he unleashed no movement techniques to evade the oncoming attack. Instead, his body swelled and his arms suddenly thickened significantly, following which he clapped his hands together as fast as lightning.

A loud thump rang out as the vajra projection emulated his movements, bringing its two massive hands together to catch the ice sword in mid-air, thereby preventing it from being able to continue in its descent.

The vajra projection was objectively quite massive, but it was nowhere near the size of the gargantuan ice sword. As such, the vajra projection was made to look like a small child catching a sword. However, it really did manage to stop the ice sword cold in its tracks!

Han Li's pupils contracted upon seeing this, and he really was quite shocked by this turn of events.

Setting aside the enormous power imbued within the ice sword itself, just the glacial Qi emanating from the Myriad Year Profound Jade was capable of freezing all treasures that dared to stand in its way. However, the golden vajra projection had managed to keep the sword at bay with its bare hands, and it appeared to be completely unscathed.

This really was an extraordinary secret technique.

Han Li turned his attention toward the silver-robed monk to discover that he didn't seem to be in as good a condition as the vajra projection was. Even though his arms remained resolute, his body was hunched over involuntarily, and the golden light shimmering around him was wavering unsteadily, thereby indicating that he was under a lot of pressure and strain.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.

This monk's secret technique appeared to be rather similar to the Six Apex Devils Art, but also completely different at the same time.

The Six Apex Devils Art allowed one to manifest six devilish projections, but all of the devilish shadows had to rely on an external source of power. However, the vajra projection summoned by this monk was completely being supported by the magic power from within the monk's body, and the power of this secret technique was also directly related to his Brightjade Arts.

If that monk hadn't mastered the fourth layer of the Brightjade Arts, the attack from the ice sword would've crushed his physical body, even if the vajra projection could've handled it.

Han Li was quite amazed by this monk's resourcefulness, but this was certainly not the extent of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords' powers. He made a hand seal once again as he activated another ability of the flying swords.

An explosive thunderclap erupted as arcs of golden light each as thick as a human arm abruptly surfaced over the ice sword. The arcs of lightning manifested themselves into countless golden lightning pythons which swept directly toward the vajra projection.

"Huh?!" The silver-robed monk's heart jolted with shock. He clearly hadn't anticipated that Han Li's flying swords would possess so many abilities, and he had no time to think as he abruptly opened his mouth.

Even though nothing was blasted out of the monk's mouth, the bursts of golden light erupted from the vajra projections mouth as it imitated his movement. Spiritual light flashed, and the lightning pythons were all kept at bay by the vast expanse of golden light.

Almost at the exact same moment, the silver-robed monk let loose another loud cry as he brought his hands together with even greater force. A massive crack immediately appeared on the ice sword between the vajra projections hands.

Piercing golden light erupted from the projections hands, and the crack instantly expanded as shards of ice detached themselves from the sword.

The silver monk was planning to use the vajra projections immense power to completely snap the ice sword in half.

However, he had clearly chosen the wrong strategy to proceed with. Han Li chuckled coldly as he switched to another hand seal, and the ice sword suddenly shuddered violently amid a loud ringing sound. The sword then disintegrated into golden threads as it dispersed from between the vajra projection's massive hands. The vajra projection attempted to grab the threads with its hands, but the golden threads were far too agile as they avoided its foundering hands with ease.

The monk faltered slightly upon seeing this before exclaiming, "So you're a cultivator proficient in sword arts, Fellow Daoist Han!"Han Li summoned his flying swords back to him with a calm smile as he replied, "I wouldn't dare to proclaim myself to be a sword cultivator with my half-assed skills. Having said that, the secret techniques you unleashed have truly broadened my horizons, Master Yuan Zhi. May I inquire about the origins of this secret technique?"

This wasn't a true battle of life and death, so there was no need for him to exert too much pressure on his opponent.

"This is just a small trick to be used in conjunction with the Brightjade Arts; it's not worthy of a mention," the silver-robed monk replied with an ambiguous chuckle, clearly unwilling to divulge his secrets.

Han Li merely smiled in response.

"Your Buddhist arts are indeed quite powerful. If I continue using normal techniques, it'll be a long time before we arrive at a decisive result in our sparring match. I'm going to be using a few powerful treasures next. Do be careful, Master Yuan Zhi," Han Li cautioned in a calm voice.

After delivering that warning, Han Li flicked his 10 fingers toward the monk in quick succession, and 10 thin red threads shot forth before disappearing mid-flight.

His sleeve then rustled as a ball of three-colored flames tumbled out from within, transforming into a three-colored feather fan that Han Li caught in his hand. He injected his spiritual power into the fan in a wild frenzy before gently sweeping it through the air.

The cry of a phoenix rang out as a three-colored Fire Raven that was several feet in size rushed directly toward the monk.

He then opened his mouth to blast forth a white bead, which swelled drastically to reach around a foot in size in the blink of an eye.

Bursts of purple glacial flames were shimmering over the surface of the bead.

Han Li merely swept a sleeve through the bead, and a sea of purple flames appeared before him. Massive waves of fire several tens of feet tall were instantly swept up, creating an extremely formidable sight to behold!

The silver-robed monk adopted an extremely solemn expression at the sight of Han Li's fearsome assault. He immediately flipped his hand over to produce a shimmering silver vial.

However, before he had a chance to do anything with this vial, red light suddenly flashed in the air before the vajra projection. 10 thin fiery threads had emerged before striking the projection in unison. A string of loud metallic clangs rang out as the two clashed, but the fiery threads were completely unable to pierce into the vajra projection's body in the slightest.

The monk completely ignored the fiery threads, turning his attention to the oncoming three-colored Fire Raven instead with a grave look on his face.

Even though this was the first time he had seen the Triflame Fan, the astonishing spiritual power emanating from the three-colored Fire Raven struck him with a sense of immense pressure.

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The monk couldn't have anticipated this would happen.

Although the ten fiery threads didn't penetrate the golden projection, red light flashed, turning themselves into bulky fire chains. Like a bolt of lightning, they instantly coiled around the projection and firmly trapped them.

When the monk saw this, he was stunned for a moment, then raising his hand and flicking in the air without any delay.

A white swordlight shot out from its tip and directly struck at the fiery chains.

A beautiful ring sounded as red and white light clashed together. The swordlight only left a pea-sized crack on the dense chains.

The silver-robed monk grew sullen at the sight.

When he saw the tri-colored fire raven and the purple flame wave race forward, the monk stomped on the white lotus below him, letting out a thunderous dragon's roar and solemnly parting his arms outward.

The huge golden projection seemed to sense the monk's anxiousness and radiated blinding golden light from its body. Its already gigantic size swelled and it grew until it was over twenty-five meters tall, pulling on the fire chains until it was nearly brought to the point of destruction.

The monk's heart sank by what he saw next.

The fire chains grew alongside projection and didn't suffer the slightest strain.

The monk formed an incantation gesture and the golden projection abruptly shrunk in size, yet the fire chains followed the transformation, remaining tightly wound around it.

In the following moment, the silver-robed monk's expression massively changed as well.

When he saw the three-colored flame raven arrive near it as it remained defenseless, he tossed the jade bottle into the air.

The silver bottle spun once in the air before directly charging at the flame raven with its mouth pointed at it. Then, it brightly glowed silver and religious chants echoed from it, followed by a large wave of seven-colored Buddhist light directly wrapping around the oncoming flame raven.

The raven cried out and spread out its wings, evading it and arriving right above the silver-robed monk.

But soon, the light caught the raven and Buddhist light brightly shined, swiveling around the raven. With the raven wrapped tightly, it drew it back into the bottle. It seemed the light was the raven's natural enemy.

The monk's expression relaxed for a moment, then pointing at the bottle in the air.

The bottle trembled and spouted out another mist of Buddhist light. This time, it was aiming at the wave of purple flame trailing after the flame raven.

It appeared he intended on using this treasure to deal with both attacks.

But at that moment, Han Li uttered, "Burst." The small silver bottle floating in the air violently shook and instantly warped in shape, its surface bending unevenly as its silver light slowly flashed. Muffled booms sounded from it, only growing louder by the second.

"Not good!" The silver-robed monk swept his spiritual sense past the silver bottle and discovered something astonishing. Soon after, the white lotus underneath him blurred and he disappeared.

All that was left behind was the meter-large lotus slowly turning in the air and the restrained golden projection.

At the same time the monk vanished, the small silver bottle flickered and let out a thunderous explosion.

A three-colored halo burst out from the silver bottle, destroying it in its entirety.

Talisman characters wandered in the air as the halo spread several times its size, completely submerging the white lotus and the golden projection.

The golden projection remained bound by the chains, unable to move a single inch. Although the golden projection was able to somewhat withstand the flames for just a moment, it quickly collapsed like foam. As for the lotus, it was instantly vaporized.

In an area over a hundred meters away, white light flashed, followed by the appearance of the silver-robed monk. His expression abruptly turned deathly pale in the exact moment the golden projection collapsed, and he coughed up some blood essence. At the same time, the golden color of his flesh greatly dimmed, clearly display his loss of vitality.

It appeared the bond he shared with that projection was much like that of a bonded magic treasure, linked to his blood and soul.

Han Li expressionlessly cast a spell seal and the roiling wave of purple flames suddenly transformed. In just a second, it took the form of a python over thirty meters long with a white pearl in its jaw and pounced towards the monk.

Before it even arrived in front of the monk, it stirred up icy gales and plummeted the temperatures nearby as if one suddenly found themselves in a snowstorm.

White light flashed from below monk, producing another lotus as the one he stood in before. His legs remained still but the lotus twirled several times and he reappeared thirty meters away. He let out a forced laugh and said, "Please stop! I won't compare my skills with you further. I concede defeat against Fellow Daoist Han's amazing abilities!"

After the monk took the initiative to admit defeat in their battle, he looked in the direction of the broken silver bottle with a trace of pity.

The bottle was a top-grade Buddhist treasure that he acquired with much difficulty. He felt deeply depressed that it was destroyed in a spar and was unwilling to continue the fight.

Although both parties hadn't displayed their full powers, Han Li's abilities were superior, and the monk suffered a few injuries as well.

When Han Li heard this, his gaze flickered and he waved his hand in the distance.

The python of purple flame suddenly froze and burned up into purple smoke. As for the white pearl remain floating in the air, Han Li commanded it to return to him along with the fire chains.

The two treasures flickered and vanished after entering Han Li's body.

Han Li saluted the monk and calmly said, "You went easy on me," before dropping to the ground.

Those at the gate looked upon Han Li with reverence.

Although the two were both grand cultivators, Han Li was able to easily defeat Buddhist Monk Yuan Zhi. It was likely Can Ku would share a similar result.

The young man, Monk Yan Zhu, met Han Li's eyes and couldn't help but wear an odd expression. His previous calm was gone.

Although the silver-robed monk was no match for Han Li, the Hidden Fortunate Pavilion Master smiled openly and took the initiative to be friendly, "Your fight truly opened my horizons. I hope to one day reach your heights! Since you've won, I will be discreet about this. I'll send someone to retrieve the miniature space refinement technique."

"Sorry for the trouble, Pavilion Lord." Han Li replied with a faint smile.

Can Ku repeatedly replied, "Of course", and immediately took out a command token and handed it to a Core Formation behind him. He carefully gave his orders.

The cultivator immediately received the token with both hands and hastily departed below.

Apart from the Hidden Fortunate Hall, there were several other towering pavilions in the air. They were all built grandly. Previously, some people were leaving and entering them, but due to the recent battle between Han Li and the silver-robed monk, no one else appeared from them.

Carrying the command token, the Core Formation cultivator disappeared into one of the building below.

At that moment, the silver-robed monk took a calming breath and descended to the ground. He took out a white medicine bottle and tossed a fire-red medicine pill into his mouth.

"Master Yuan Zhi, are you well?" Han Li looked over and asked.

Yuan Zhi looked over at Han Li and casually smiled at him as if he didn't mind the injuries Han Li inflicted on him. He aloofly answered, "I'm fine. With medicine pills, I'll only need several months to recover. But I must say that fan of yours is no ordinary treasure. Even top-grade magic treasures couldn't damage my golden projection as much as your fan, and I wasn't able to resist it in the slightest. It should be a spirit treasure replica, but not a genuine article."

"The master is quite observant. My fan is indeed a spirit treasure replica." Han Li answered with a chuckle.

When the silver-robed monk heard this, a faint smile appeared on his indifferent face. But just as he thought to say something Can Ku interjected. The fat old man rubbed his hands together and chuckled,

"Fellow Daoists, we may as well continue our discussion inside the hall. I happened to acquire a bottle of the Crossing Dragon's Roar. It is said that when ordinary cultivators take a drink of it, it can accomplish about a month of dedicated cultivation. More importantly, the flavor is said to be exquisite beyond description. How about we taste it together?"

At that moment, he no longer appeared to be a pavilion lord, but rather a hospitable old man of humble origins.

"The Crossing Dragon's Roar? I have heard of that wine's name. It is said to be created from several rare fruits that have long been extinct from the mortal world. The wine is fragrant beyond all others. Fellow Daoist, please don't be surprised. Although I hail from a Buddhist sect, I will find it hard to deny something of this value." Yuan Zhi smiled upon seeing Han Li's amazement and teasingly replied, "In the past, Fellow Daoist Can Ku became a guest elder of our sect by enticing him with tens of ancient spirit wines. But don't think he is a base monk. He respects all the other commandments." His tone was friendly.

When Han Li heard this, his heart stirred and he silently smiled.

Then, the party entered the main hall.

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Someplace high in the air, an azure light slowly moved forward. Past the faint cover of light was a smiling youth that fiddled with a faint red jade slip in his hand.

This person was Han Li, who just left the Hidden Fortunate Hall not long ago. He held a jade slip in hand that contained the secret technique to refine a compressed miniature space.

"I didn't expect that something as famous as a miniature space would have such a simple refinement technique. Most of the materials needed for it are also quite simple. If that was the case, refining it should be quite easy," Han Li muttered to himself as he flew.

"Hehe, you can call that a miniature space? I only see it as a method of creating a fixed teleportation formation to a spatial tear. True compressed spaces are treasures that can be carried on hand and can always be entered as will." A boy's voice lazily sounded in Han Li's ear.

Han Li shook his head. "Although Fellow Daoist's words are reasonable, it isn't possible to create such a treasure with the abilities of the mortal world's cultivators. Even your All-encompassing Pouch and the original Blackwind Flag only possess minor spatial abilities, nothing like the miniature spaces that you speak of."

The boy replied with a smile, "That is reasonable. To the best of my knowledge, I only know several characters that own a true miniature space, each of them a top-grade existence in the spirit realm. Otherwise, others would've seized these treasures from them.

Since you acquired the refinement technique for the compressed space, will you now head to Yin Sifting Sect and acquire the Ghost Sifting Banners? Fellow Daoist, will you boldly face their entire sect?"

"Of course I won't," Han Li shook his head, "Even if the Yin Sifting Sect only has one grand cultivator, they are still one of the ten great Devil Dao sects. Who could know what fearsome restrictions they've placed inside their sect, or what other killing measures they have in place. The Yin Sifting Sect has an ancient legacy. I don't plan on risking my life over this."

"Then you mean..." The boy's curiosity was piqued.

"Its quite simple, to take out evil, I must first take out their king. After I deal with the Yin Sifting Sect Master, I'll finish off the rest of the Nascent Soul elders of the sect. Furthermore, we're made inquiries about them before. Over these past few years, there are many Devil Dao Sects that have been eyeing their position in the ten great sects. This Yin Sifting Sect Master has also been leaving the sect often. We'll only need to wait for an opportunity to kill him outside of the Fangmang Mountains. Without a grand cultivator standing guard, the restrictions at the Yin Sifting Sect will be particularly powerful, but that isn't anything that I'll have to worry about too much. However, before I take action, I'd best start on other objectives. After all, I'll have to finish the matter quickly after I start. If a Deity Transformation cultivator finds out to discover me and decides to interfere, it will be greatly troublesome." Han Li's voice turned sullen.

The boy smiled, "That is so. The grand cultivators of the mortal realm can't take actions as they wish. If you intended on destroying such a large sect, I fear one of those fellows won't be able to sit still."

This time, Han Li didn't reply. He simply wore a cold smile. After he withdrew the jade slip from his hand, his speed increased several times and he disappeared from the nearby skies in the blink of an eye.

Many years passed.

A massacre was occuring in a nameless mountain range bordering the Feng Province and Han County.

It consisted of six black-robed cultivators commanding over a thousand armored refined corpses to surround and kill several tens of differently dressed cultivators.

The armored corpses weren't weak, and with the addition of the black-robed cultivators commanding them, their corpse Qi soared. In only the time it took to finish a meal, the corpses easily devoured the party of cultivators apart from the most powerful Core Formation cultivators of the group.

These survivors felt that they would soon face their deaths as well.

But at that moment, a shrieking whistle sounded from the distant sky, the sound seemingly capable of spreading through all of the nine heavens. When the cultivators in this battle heard this, they felt their ears ache until they only heard loud ringing.

When the black-robed cultivators heard this, their expressions massively changed. As for the cultivators that were surrounded, joy beamed from faces.

Spiritual light flashed from the distant, followed by the faint sounds of thunder. An emerald green acre-large cloud streaked over to them. At its incredible speed, it traveled over three hundred meters in the blink of an eye to where the cultivators were fighting.

At that moment, a cold voice sounded from the air. Following a black flash, a vague silhouette strangely warped into view. "I was wondering who thought to personally bring a force to attack my sect. It turned out to be the Blood Bone Sect's Fellow Daoist Bi!"

Soon after, this person waved his sleeves in a dance, sweeping flashes of silver light to cut the oncoming green cloud.

"Old Devil Fang!"

A cry of surprise was shouted from the devilish cloud, and it immediately changed direction to flee.

"Humph! Since you've arrived at the border of the sect, there is no need for you to leave." Following an icy snort, the grey light chased after the cloud, the grey light travelling several times faster as its color turned pitch-black.

In a short amount of time, they revealed over a hundred kilometers in their pursuit and they disappeared from the horizon.

When the black-robed cultivators saw this, they regained their calm and commanded the armored corpses to resume their attacks with increased intensity. As for the surrounded cultivators, their hopeful expressions were replaced with despair after they saw what happened. Despite this, they strived their hardest, managing to kill many armored corpses before they were eventually wiped out.

Afterwards, the black-robed cultivators released black pouches which absorbed the armored corpses into them. But they didn't immediately depart. Rather, they whispered among each other as they looked to the distant sky.

After some time passed, the light flashed from the sky and a black streak was flying back in their direction.

The black-robed cultivator immediately stopped talking, they split into two rows, standing at attention.

Black light flashed in front of them to reveal a silhouette wrapped in black Qi.

"We pay our respects to the sect master!" These black-robed cultivators grandly saluted with reverent expression

The silhouette in the black Qi asked, "Have those from the Blood Bone Sect been wiped out?"

A lanky old man took several steps forward and solemnly answered, "Please be at ease, Sect Master. Of the seventy-three Blood Bone Sect members that entered, all are dead. Not one escaped."

The silhouette coldly said, "The flesh body of that Blood Bone Sect Elder Bi Huo has also been destroyed. Only his Nascent Soul escaped me. After this, I presume that the Blood Bone Sect won't dare to launch another sect on me. Humph! Were it not for our lacking numbers, I would've sent our sect to eliminate them."

The other black-robed cultivators didn't dare to speak and simply stood there awaiting further orders.

After muttering to himself for a long while more, the silhouette eventually commanded, "There is nothing else to do here for the time being. First, return to the sect. I have other matters I must deal here with myself. I'll return later.

"As you command!"

The black-robed cultivators didn't dare to raise any opposition and all acknowledged his orders. Afterwards, they took off in streaks of various-colored light, cleanly departing form the area.

Now, all that remained in the area was silhouette wrapped in black Qi. He looked in the distance and remained motionless in place.

After an unknown amount of time passed, he eventually said, "Isn't it about time for you to appear after watching so much? Could it be that you wish for me to force you to appear?"

Once he said that with a hostile tone, he looked around to a nearby area with seemingly no one there.

In a flash of azure light, a youth in azure robes appeared with his hands behind his back. "Oh? It seems you are deserving of your position as the Yin Sifting Sect Master to have discovered me. But why would you reveal me after you sent off your disciples? Could it be you don't wish to involve them?"

The youth was Han Li. His objective was the silhouette in the black Qi, the Yin Sifting Sect Master Fang.

To tell the truth, to intercept the sect master, he watched over the Fangmang Mountain Range for at least half a year. Now that an opportunity finally arose, he stealthily followed after him.

"It's you!" When the Sect Master Fang saw Han Li's face, his body trembled and he fiercely glared at him.

"So it appears Sect Master Fang recognizes me." Han Li's face remained indifferent.

"So you've managed to enter late-Nascent Soul stage. Did you come here intending on killing me?" The black Qi surrounding the sect master vanished to reveal a man in his late twenties with an extremely pale complexion. A green light faintly glinted from his eyes.

"That's right. Since I'm here, only one of us will be leaving this place." Han Li spoke leisurely as if he were only having a chat with a friend.

When the Yin Sifting Sect Master heard Han Li's words, his expression changed several times, but eventually, green light flashed from his eyes as he raised his head in wild laughter. "Good, very good. Even if you didn't come seek me out, I eventually planned to hunt you down in the Heavenly South. They say Old Devil Qian and North Night Palace's Master Arctic Dragon have died by your hand. To tell the truth, I don't believe those rumors, so your trip here to seek your own death is something I could only wish for. I will be sure to avenge the deaths of my wife and our sect elders."

Soon after, his figure spun and black Qi appeared around him. In the blink of an eye, he was completely engulfed and ghostly wails yelled around him. Several tall figures strangely appeared within the Qi.

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Even though the black Qi was extremely dense, Han Li was still able to identify the devilish being within the black Qi.

They consisted of three tall and burly corpses in suits of black armor. One was wielding a shimmering yellow short halberd, the other was wielding a green spear, and the final one had a shimmering silver mace hoisted up on its shoulder.

The three corpses all had sharp fangs and green light dancing within their eyes. All of them seemed to possess Nascent Soul Stage power and particularly worthy of note was that corpse with the mace hoisted up on its shoulder; the devilish Qi emanating from its body was especially dense, suggesting that it was already at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage.

Han Li was slightly surprised by this development, but he wasn't fearful in the slightest as he summoned a small black vial before making a hand seal.

Five bursts of greyish-white light erupted from within the vial before transforming into five humanoid skeletons. As soon as they emerged, they began to let loose bursts of unsettling cackling. At the same time, an astonishing amount of greyish-white devilish Qi began to emanate from their bodies, giving them a very sinister appearance.

"Unbroken Cinque Devils?" The Yin Sifting Sect Master's heart sank upon seeing this. He and Old Devil Qian had been martial brothers for many years, so he was obviously able to immediately identify that these were his Unbroken Cinque Devils.

Just as bewilderment was surging through his heart, pairs of bone sabers appeared in the hands of the five devils at Han Li's behest, and those sabers came crashing down viciously without any hesitation.

As things currently were, the Yin Sifting Sect Master had no time for hesitation. He could only grit his teeth as the three armor-clad corpses within the black Qi rushed out toward the five devils.

Meanwhile, he rustled his sleeve to produce a black bead, then flipped over his other hand to summon a veil-like yellow object.

However, before the Yin Sifting Sect Master had a chance to use these two treasures, the three corpses had already clashed with the five devils.

Just as they were about to come into contact with one another, the three armor-clad corpses opened their mouths to expel three bursts of putrid green mist. This was the corpse poison that had been accumulating within their guts for countless years.

If a normal cultivator were to be struck by this poison, they would most likely lose most of their cultivation base if not be killed on the spot. However, the five devils weren't humans, and they saw no need to evade these bursts of green corpse poison. Instead, they also opened their mouths to blast forth bursts of glacial flames of different colors.

This wasn't a casual sparring match; Han Li was intent on killing this Yin Sifting Sect Master. As such, he immediately unleashed his five glacial flames, which had been cultivated to the height of their powers.

The five different-colored glacial flames intertwined with one another, creating a five-colored sea of fire that surged toward the three corpses.

Not only did the sea of flames completely vanquish the corpse poison, they went on to engulf the three oncoming corpses as well.

The fearsome armored corpses immediately slowed down significantly amid the five-colored sea of flames.

However, these corpses weren't completely pushovers. Even though they seemed to be moving at less than a tenth of their original speed, they were able to expel inky-black corpse Qi from their bodies to keep the glacial flames at bay, thereby preventing them from being inundated right away.

The five devils refrained from charging ahead upon seeing this. Instead, they retreated to several feet away while continuing to blast forth streams of glacial flames, thus ensuring that the three corpses remained trapped within the sea of flames.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master's expression darkened significantly upon seeing this.

These three armored corpse monarchs had been painstakingly nurtured by him for centuries and all of them possessed extremely powerful bodies and abilities. Never would he have thought that they would be nullified so easily by the Unbroken Cinque Devils, to the extent that they weren't even able to unleash a single one of their abilities.

Just what kind of flames were being blasted out of the mouths of the five devils? These five devils were clearly the same ones that Old Devil Qian had refined, so how had they managed to gain such extraordinary abilities after being taken by Han Li?

A sense of foreboding welled up in the Yin Sifting Sect Master's heart as his mind scrambled for answers. At the same time, he immediately tossed his two treasures into the air without any hesitation.

The yellow veil-liked treasures rotated in the air before instantly transforming into a massive net that was several hundred feet in size. The net seemed to have obscured the entire sky, and Han Li, as well as the Unbroken Cinque Devils, were all under its scope.

Meanwhile, the black ball flew slowly through the air in a completely mundane manner, flying behind the net in hot pursuit.

Han Li's brows furrowed as he immediately blasted a small azure cauldron out of his mouth.

He laid a hand onto the cauldron and a plume of azure threads shot forth from within amid a flash of spiritual light, creating a vast expanse of azure light that kept the massive net at bay, preventing it from descending any further.

At the same time, the Triflame Fan and the Eight Spirit Ruler appeared in his hands, and he waved the latter gently through the air.

A silver lotus flower immediately appeared beneath the black ball, and before the latter even had a chance to reveal its powers, it was completely immobilized on the spot, unable to advance even an inch further.

Han Li didn't know what that ball was, but a shiver ran down his spine for some reason when he saw it flying toward him.

As such, he immediately unleashed his Eight Spirit Ruler to trap that ball, and only then did he heave an internal sigh of relief.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master hurriedly tried to use his spiritual sense to withdraw the black ball upon seeing this, but it seemed to have been frozen in mid-air and completely failed to react.

The old devil was struck by the urge to cuss out loud!

This ball was no ordinary treasure, and he had intended to catch Han Li by surprise with it in order to bring him down in one fell swoop. However, he didn't think that Han Li's instincts would be so sharp. Not only was he not allowing the ball to approach him, he had also completely immobilized it. As such, the old devil's plan had completely fallen through.

Right at this moment, Han Li also sprang into action.

A loud thunderclap rang out as a pair of azure and white wings appeared on his back. He gently flapped those wings before disappearing soundlessly on the spot with his Triflame Fan held tightly in his grasp.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master's heart jolted upon seeing this! He hurriedly made a hand seal to summon the black Qi around him back to his body, creating a suit of inky-black armor in the blink of an eye.

He then let loose a low roar as resounding booms erupted all over his body. Countless arcs of blue lightning surfaced over his armor, making it appear as if countless shimmering blue snakes were roaming over his suit of armor, creating an extremely formidable sight to behold.

Right at this moment, spatial fluctuations appeared behind him, following which a humanoid figure appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master didn't turn around, but he seemed to have anticipated this in advance as he abruptly made a hand seal. A burst of black light immediately shot forth from his back, appeared above the humanoid figure's head in a flash before crashing down with ferocious might.

It was an inky-black flying sword that was around a foot in length.

A loud clang erupted as the humanoid figure raised both of its hands. Two silver longswords were held within his grasp, and he used them to swat the flying sword away.

Only then did the Yin Sifting Sect Master turn around with a cold smile on his face.

However, his smile immediately stiffened at the sight of the humanoid figure behind him.

Even though the humanoid figure was completely identical in appearance to Han Li, there wasn't even a single trace of vitality in its body; it was like an inanimate object.

Just he was about to assess this "Han Li" with his spiritual sense, an arc of azure light flashed in the air overhead and the true Han Li emerged. He then immediately swept his Triflame Fan downward without any hesitation, sending a pillar of three-colored flames hurtling down below.

Even though this was the first time the Yin Sifting Sect Master had seen this fan, the terrifying fire-attribute spiritual power imbued within it alerted him to the fact that it was not to be taken lightly.

He bent his knees and his legs were like coiled springs, launching him backward in retreat at an astonishing speed.

Not only that, but during his retreat, he pointed a finger toward Han Li from afar.

The countless blue lightning snakes roaming over its body shot forth in a flash, hurtling toward Han Li amid a burst of explosive thunderclaps.

He then opened his mouth to blast forth an extremely smooth jade panel, which swelled drastically as it flew through the air. At the same time, he flipped over his other hand to summon a sharp golden spike. He hurled the spike viciously through the air, and it only flashed twice before it was upon Han Li, attempting to pierce through his body at an incredible speed.

A normal Nascent Soul cultivator definitely wouldn't be able to evade such a rapid attack, but after cultivating the Nine Gale Transformations, Han Li was able to twist his body to the side in an impossible angle as if he had no bones, thereby allowing him to easily evade the golden spike as it flew past him several feet away.

At this point, the Yin Sifting Sect Master was over 200 feet away from Han Li, and he was looking on at Han Li's contortion skills with astonishment in his eyes.

After Han Li's body returned to normal, he appraised his opponent with a cold expression before suddenly clasping his hands behind his back and letting loose a cold harrumph.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master was initially a little perplexed by Han Li's actions, but as soon as his cold harrumph reached his ears, he felt as if a sharp spike had been driven into his brain. The excruciating pain caught him completley off guard, and he doubled over with his hands clawing at his own head as his expression was twisted to the extreme.

This was the Spirit Stun Thorn secret technique that had been developed by the Monarch of Soul Divergence. Han Li had already reached the final layer of the Great Development Technique and his cultivation base was at the pinnacle of late-Nascent Soul Stage, so this Spirit Stun Thorn attack was virtually as powerful as it possibly could be. This was most likely what the Monarch of Soul Divergence would've been capable of at the height of his powers.

However, despite how powerful this secret technique, it was only effective when used in conjunction with the element of surprise. If a cultivator were aware of this secret technique beforehand, they would only have to use their powerful spiritual sense to guard their heads, and the technique would prove to be nowhere near as effective. Furthermore, the effect that this technique had on a late-Nascent Soul cultivator was quite short. Under normal circumstances, a great cultivator would be able to forcibly repress this pain and return to their senses in about two or three seconds.

However, what was rather strange was that after unleashing his Spirit Stun Thorn, Han Li remained standing on the spot, looking at the Yin Sifting Sect Master as if he were appraising a dead man.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master recovered even more quickly from the Spirit Stun Thorn than Han Li had anticipated, returning to his senses virtually in the blink of an eye before an expression of fury appeared on his face

Right at this moment, he was suddenly struck by the sense that something was amiss, and he hurriedly turned around, but it was already too late!

A cold sensation glanced past his throat as a black streak of light circled around his neck, following which his head came tumbling down onto the ground.

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That streak of black light was naturally none other than the Devil Essence Dagger!

Even though this dagger was extremely powerful and had exceptional concealment properties, a great cultivator would always be able to sense it at such close quarters.

As such, Han Li used the Spirit Stun Thorn first, forcing the Yin Sifting Sect Master to reflexively withdraw his spiritual sense back into his body as a result of the excruciating pain. The Devil Essence Dagger was then able to take advantage of this opportunity, flying around to behind its target before easily slicing off his head.

It could be said that victory was decided in an instant. Otherwise, even though Han Li was confident in his ability to bring down his opponent, it would take quite a long time and require a lot of effort.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master was overly confident in the suit of armor that he was wearing, and never would he have thought that Han Li would possess a treasure like the Devil Essence Dagger, which could completely disregard devilish Qi. As a result, his armor proved to be completely ineffective, and he was insta-killed on the spot.

Immediately following the Yin Sifting Sect Master's decapitation, Han Li suddenly spread his Thunderstorm wings and disappeared as an arc of azure lightning.

In the next instant, Han Li appeared in the air above the headless body.

However, right at this moment, the headless body suddenly began to expand drastically before exploding violently, sending a burst of blood mist hurtling toward Han Li.

Han Li was given a massive fright and immediately raised both hands at once.

Two thick arcs of golden lightning immediately shot forth amid a resounding thunderclap, splitting up to form a large golden net before retaliating against the crimson mist.

This crimson mist had to be some kind of sinister secret technique that allowed a cultivator to use its body as a weapon, but the Divine Devilbane Lightning just so happened to be able to completely nullify it. As such, as soon as the two clashed, the oncoming cloud of crimson mist was immediately vanquished amid flashes of golden light.

However, a tiny black humanoid figure had taken advantage of this opportunity to flee into the distance.

This miniature humanoid figure was naturally none other than the Yin Sifting Sect Master's Nascent Soul.

It sped to over 300 feet away in the blink of an eye, then began to unleash a teleportation technique. After two flashes in quick succession, it appeared a further several hundred feet away, thereby taking it to over 1,000 feet away from Han Li, and it appeared that it was going to escape.

Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this before a cold smile appeared on his face. A loud thunderclap suddenly rang out behind him as two thick bolts of azure and white lightning surfaced on both of his wings at the same time. Immediately thereafter, balls of lightning appeared behind him before revolving around his wings.

He flapped his Thunderstorm Wings, and all of the balls of lightning exploded at once, injecting arcs of azure and white lightning into his wings.

Han Li transformed into an arc of lightning and disappeared amid another resounding thunderclap.

In the next instant, he had appeared 300 feet away before abruptly vanishing once again amid another thunderclap. On the next occasion, the arc of lightning appeared several hundred feet away, and it was close to catching up to the fleeing Nascent Soul.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master turned around just in time to witness Han Li unleashing his extraordinary movement technique, and a surge of panic immediately ran through his heart.

He knew that he couldn't afford to conserve his power any longer as he made a hand seal, and his Nascent Soul disappeared as a streak of crimson light, attempting to flee by using his teleportation technique in quick succession.

At this moment, Han Li appeared around 400 feet behind the Nascent Soul, and he harrumphed coldly upon seeing this.

A thin gash appeared on his glabella, following which black light flashed and an inky-black eyeball surfaced.

This was none other than Han Li's Law Destruction Eye.

As soon as the eye appeared, a flash of black light shot forth from within, disappearing into a certain spot in the air.

Immediately thereafter, a loud explosion erupted as the Nascent Soul stumbled out of empty space amid a flash of black light, looking as if its teleportation technique had been forcibly cut off midway.

The Nascent Soul wore a panicked expression of incredulity, as if it were yet to come to terms with the fact that Han Li had a method to foil its teleportation technique.

It gritted its teeth and disappeared again after making a hand seal.

Han Li's brows furrowed as his expression completley darkened. Another burst of black light was blasted out of his Law Destruction Eye, and he flapped his wings as he disappeared as an arc of azure lightning.

As such, when the Nascent Soul was forced to reveal itself again, Han Li was able to appear just over 100 feet away from it.

The Nascent Soul was shocked to see this, and it immediately raised its hands to send several green threads hurtling toward Han Li.

Han Li also raised a hand to summon several fiery threads, which were sent flying through the air. As soon as the threads clashed, the green threads revealed their true forms to be hair-thin green flying needles.

Meanwhile, the Nascent Soul tried to take advantage of this opportunity to flee again.

However, Han Li was already prepared on this occasion. He swept his sleeve through the air in an expressionless manner as he blasted forth an arc of golden lightning, which then disappeared on the spot.

In the next instant, a loud thunderclap erupted up ahead, and the Yin Sifting Sect Master's Nascent Soul let loose a cry of anguish before clasping its hands over its chest. A tiny golden sword that was several inches in length was protruding from its chest, but it didn't seem to have completely punctured the Nascent Soul's body.

However, the arcs of lightning emanating from the tiny sword were well and truly striking the Nascent Soul.

The cultivation art used by this Yin Sifting Sect Master was clearly also a type of ancient devilish art. After the Nascent Soul was struck by the arc of golden lightning, an expression of agony appeared on its face, and it appeared to be on the brink of falling apart.

Han Li's body swayed and he appeared in the air directly above the Nascent Soul. He then rubbed his hands together to produce another thick bolt of golden lightning amid an astonishing burst of rumbling.

"Please wait, Fellow Daoist; I have something to say!" the Nascent Soul cried out as its face turned deathly pale.

"I have no interest in hearing what you have to say." Han Li harrumphed coldly as he raised a hand, following which the golden arc of lightning transformed into a massive golden python before crashing down from above.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master was absolutely horrified.

However, even though its Nascent Soul had suffered severe wounds, it naturally wasn't going to give up without a fight. As such, spiritual light flashed from its body as it prepared to unleash some kind of secret technique as a final roll of the dice.

However, right at this moment, a clump of azure threads suddenly appeared out of thin air several tens of feet beside it, catching it completely off guard and tightly binding its body.

On the other side of the azure threads, azure light flashed as a tiny cauldron appeared.

It was none other than the Heavenvoid Cauldron!

As soon as the Yin Sifting Sect Master was bound by these azure threads, the magic power within its body congealed, and its heart immediately sank.

The massive golden lightning python was unavoidable, and as the Nascent Soul looked on from down below, its horrified face paled even further.

Just as it closed its eyes to await its inevitable death, a loud explosion suddenly erupted behind it while the Nascent Soul itself remained unscathed.

It opened its eyes with a dumbstruck expression before its heart jolted with surprise.

Han Li had appeared right before it and was inspecting it at close quarters.

"You..."

The Yin Sifting Sect Master's heart stirred, and he was just about to say something when Han Li flicked several fingers through the air in an expressionless manner. Several streaks of silver light shot forth, all of which disappeared into the Nascent Soul's body.

The Yin Sifting Sect Master's Nascent Soul was completely powerless to resist, and before it could say anything else, it had fallen unconscious.

Han Li flipped over his hand to produce several restriction talismans, which he plastered all over the Nascent Soul's body before pointing a finger toward the tiny cauldron.

A crisp ringing sound immediately erupted from within the Heavenvoid Cauldron as those azure threads were withdrawn, pulling the Nascent Soul into the cauldron.

Han Li's expression finally eased after seeing this, and he turned his attention to the five devils and the three corpses.

At this point, the three devils were still completely trapped by the glacial flames being expelled by the five ghostly heads. The five ghostly heads rushed into the sea of five-colored flames at Han Li's behest before hurtling directly toward the three corpses, which were still moving as slowly as snails.

Han Li smiled as he stowed away all of the treasures in the air, regardless of whether they were his or if they belonged to his enemy. He then waved a hand toward the humanoid puppet before carrying the tiny cauldron as he descended toward a secluded mountain down below.

The humanoid puppet followed along behind him completely expressionlessly.

Just as the five devils were dominating their three opponents, Han Li returned, this time without his Heavenvoid Cauldron.

He looked at the three corpses, which had almost been completely devoured by the five devils, and he waited for the conclusion of their "battle" in silence with a contemplative look on his face.

"Have you really decided to infiltrate the Yin Sifting Sect alone?" The voice of a small child sounded.

"It shouldn't be a very dangerous endeavor. After using my soul search technique on that Nascent Soul, I already know where the most powerful restrictions in the sect are situated. As long as I avoid those, nothing can touch me in the Yin Sifting Sect. There seem to only be five or six elders stationed in the sect while all of the others are out fighting enemies from other powers. This is a good opportunity for me to take care of all of the elders in the sect, then make a move against the elders outside of the sect. Even though I can't ascertain the exact location of the elders outside the sect from the information I derived using the soul search technique, I know roughly where they are, and I'll make sure that the remaining Yin Sifting Sect elders won't get a chance to join forces against me," Han Li replied in a calm manner.

"If that's the case, then I have nothing to say. However, are you only trying to take their banners or do you intend to completely destroy the Yin Sifting Sect?" the small child asked.

Han Li paused for a moment before replying with a cold smile, "It doesn't matter what my intentions are! They'll be losing six or seven Nascent Soul Stage elders on top of their late-Nascent Soul Stage sect master. Do you think they'll still be able to maintain their position as one of the 10 great Devil Dao sects? When that time comes, all of their enemies will destroy them in my stead; I won't need to dirty my hands at all."

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"What you're saying makes sense as well. Seeing as the Yin Sifting Sect is a prominent sect of the Devil Dao, they'll definitely have a lot of enemies. Otherwise, the Yin Sifting Sect Master wouldn't have appeared here," the small child agreed with a smile.

A faints smile also appeared on Han Li's face as he flipped over a hand to produce a black ball.

He then fell silent as he began to scrutinize the ball.

However, only a short while had passed before he abruptly patted his storage pouch to summon a wooden box.

He blew toward the box, and the lid flew off of its own accord.

The contents of the box comprised of a crimson ball, upon which was plastered several restriction talismans. This was none other than the treasure that Han Li had taken from the grey-robed monk by the name of Mo Jiu from the Profound Jade Cave of the North Night Palace.

Han Li placed the black ball into the wooden box as well before carefully inspecting it. At first glance, the black ball was completely dull and lusterless, giving off a nondescript and mundane air. However, upon closer inspection, one would be able to discover that there were profound greyish-white runes visible on its surface. At the same time, Han Li was able to use his spiritual sense to peer deeper into the ball, where he discovered that there were miniature clouds of inky-black mist situated within. All of these clouds were tumbling and surging erratically, and they seemed to be imbued with extremely fearsome and pure devilish Qi.

Only after a long while did Han Li withdraw his gaze from the black ball before turning his attention to the crimson ball again. After a brief assessment, he discovered that there was also extremely astonishing fire-attribute spiritual power lurking within.

He stroked his chin as a contemplative look appeared on his face.

"I didn't think that someone would've been capable of refining Thunder Bombs in the human world, even in ancient times. I wonder if the ancient cultivators figured out the refinement method for themselves or if someone from the Spirit Realm bestowed the method upon them. If it's the former, then so be it, but if the latter is true, then that person most likely harbored some sinister intentions," the small child sighed.

Han Li was a little surprised to hear this. "Thunder Bombs? They're from the Spirit Realm? But after using my soul search technique, it seems like that man was under the impression that they're known as Immortal Vanquishing Beads. They seem to be extremely powerful, and even a Deity Transformation cultivator wouldn't be able to survive unscathed if they were to be struck by this bead."

"The shape is a little different from what I'm familiar to, but these are definitely Thunder Bombs. It's just that the two that you have are very crude, which suggests that they were probably rejects from the Spirit Realm. However, they're certainly worthy of the title of 'Immortal Vanquishing Bead' here in the human world," the small child replied.

"These are treasures used by cultivators in the Spirit Realm?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows.

"Of course cultivators can use these things, but they were initially refined for mortals to use. They only spread to cultivator circles after that. This is one of the few powerful treasures that can be used by mortals in the Spirit Realm, even without any magic power. However, due to their immense power and the complex process required to refine them, very rarely will cultivators refine such items. There are also very few people who are aware of the refinement method. At the very least, that knowledge is beyond me," the small child explained.

"Even mortals can use it? Then why would Spirit Realm cultivators refine these things?" Han Li was rather perplexed.

"It's hard to elaborate on the underlying reasons, but you'll be able to figure it out for yourself once you ascend to the Spirit Realm." The small child gave a rather ambiguous reply.

Han Li wanted to pose further questions, but this was a matter regarding the Spirit Realm, so it naturally didn't have anything to do with him at the moment. As such, he closed the wooden box to stow the two balls away and set aside this topic of conversation for now.

It was naturally a good thing that he had obtained a pair of such powerful treasures. Perhaps he'd have the opportunity to use them in the future.

At this moment, the ghostly heads manifested from the Unbroken Cinque Devils had crushed the three corpses to the ground in the distance. Even with mid-Nascent Soul Stage power, the three corpses were powerless to resist given that their speed had been significantly hampered. As such, the five devils chomped down on their bodies, absorbing the pure corpse Qi in their bodies with reckless abandon.

Han Li knew that these three corpses would be completely devoured soon, so he began to consider how he was going to infiltrate the Yin Sifting Sect. With his current abilities, as long as he could gather knowledge on the restrictions spread all over the Yin Sifting Sect, he'd be able to infiltrate it with ease.

Half a year later, the entire Great Jin was in an uproar! Within the short span of half a year, seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators from the Yin Sifting Sect, including the sect master, disappeared in quick succession. All of their soul lamps, which were located in a secret area within the sect, had also completely snuffed out, thereby indicating that they were clearly dead.

What was even more bizarre was that more of those cultivators had perished within the Yin Sifting Sect that outside of it. It was as if an invisible enemy had infiltrated the sect, and was specifically targeting their most powerful cultivators.

Ever since the first elder was killed, the higher-ups of the Yin Sifting Sect had conducted an exhaustive search within the sect and also activated all of the restrictions. However, all of their efforts yielded no fruits as more and more elders were killed one after another. All of the higher-ups of the Yin Sifting Sect were horrified, and in the end, the elders had to live together in groups and never separate from one another. Only then were they able to remain safe. However, all of the Yin Sifting Sect elders who were out running errands then began to die in quick succession. All of the remaining Nascent Soul cultivators in the Yin Sifting Sect were absolutely petrified, and at a complete loss for what to do.

In the short span of just half a year, the Yin Sifting Sect had lost almost half of their Nascent Soul Stage elders. It seemed that a Nascent Soul cultivator among their ranks died almost every and that, in conjunction with the disappearance of their sect master, severely dented the Yin Sifting Sect's power. All of the elders were immediately summoned back to the side and forced to reside together at all times. Only then did this nightmare subside. All of the horrified higher-ups of the Yin Sifting Sect finally heaved a long collective sigh of relief.

However, despite the Yin Sifting Sect's best efforts to hide this incident, news of it was still inevitably leaked in the end.

As such, all of the other major sects sprang into action, deploying large numbers of cultivators to take over the Yin Sifting Sect's territory.

The remaining Yin Sifting Sect elders retaliated with all their might, but anyone could see that the Yin Sifting Sect wouldn't be able to last very long at all. After all, as one of the ten major sects of the Devil Dao, the Yin Sifting Sect did have its glory days, but it had also made countless enemies. Now that it had shown severe signs of weakness and decline, there were naturally many people who were willing to contribute further to this trend.

Thus, countless sects began to ravage the colossus that was the Yin Sifting Sect.

High up in the air above a patch of barren land, there were a dozen or so cultivators gathered. They were standing in two groups with a clear boundary between them. However, at the center between the groups were two young men who were engaged in a heated battle. One of them was manipulating an azure flying sword while the other was using a red flying saber, and the clashes between the two weapons put on a spectacular light show amid bursts of resounding booms. All of the spectating cultivators wore excited expressions, and chatting among themselves in low quiet voices.

These people were all young men and women who appeared to be in their teens, and they were all at the Qi Condensation Stage; there wasn't even a single Foundation Establishment cultivator among them. From their identical attire, it could be seen that they were most likely low-grade disciples from a major family or a sect nearby. However, they were gathered here to battle for some reason.

The azure flying sword and the red flying saber clashed over and over again. The azure sword seemed to have gained the upper hand, and the red saber was slowly being forced into retreat.

"Tsk tsk, the Azure Spirit Sword sure is quite powerful. It looks like Senior Martial Brother Lin is going to win," a beautiful young woman said to the young man next to her with a smile on her face.

"Hmph, so what? If he wasn't from the Lin Family, how could he possibly have a mid-grade spirit tool at just the Qi Condensation Stage? He's got a major advantage from the silver spoon in his mouth! If I had a treasure like that, I definitely wouldn't lose to him." The young man was not very pleased, but he only spoke in an extremely quiet voice, as if he were afraid of being overheard.

The young woman giggled upon hearing this. Even though she was only in her youth, there was already a hint of seductive charm about her. Before she had a chance to say anything else, the young man cast his gaze toward the distance in an errant manner before suddenly letting loose a cry of surprise.

"What is it?" the young woman asked in a surprised voice before also turning her attention that direction, upon which an astonished look appeared on her face.

There in the distance, a peculiar humanoid figure could be seen.

The humanoid figure clearly had the appearance of a human male, but he had a massive pair of wings on his back. There were azure and white lightning flashing incessantly over the wings, but they were completely silent, thereby allowing him to avoid detection from all of the low-grade cultivators down below.

If it weren't for the fact that the young man just so happened to have glanced toward that direction, the two of them would've been completely oblivious as well.

The man had his hands clasped behind his back and continued onward without even sparing a glance at the low-grade cultivators down below. He seemed to be looking at something in the distance, but there appeared to be nothing in the sky aside from a few white clouds.

"What was that? Could that be a high-grade demon beast?" The young woman was from a family of cultivators, so she had seen some relevant tomes, and was aware of the existence of metamorphosis stage demon beasts.

"No way. Our State of Huo is a little secluded, but there's no way that a high-grade demonic cultivator would dare to show themselves in such a blatant manner in broad daylight. It must be a senior with some kind of flight ability." Even though the young man was completely flabbergasted, he was able to make the correct judgment call in a short time.

Strangely enough, even though the winged man in the sky was situated very far away from them, he seemed to have heard their conversation, and suddenly turned around to look at them.

Their eyes met, and the heart rates of the pair of young cultivators accelerated drastically.

It wasn't that the man's features were extremely terrifying or anything like that. In fact, his appearance was quite ordinary, to the extent that it was downright forgettable. However, what had struck fear into their hearts was that the man had a vertical inky-black third eye on his glabella. That eye was completely wooden and emotionless, and chills ran down their spines at the mere sight of it.

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What was that thing? Could it be that this really was a high-grade demon beast? Otherwise, how could a human have a third eye?

The same thoughts flashed through the minds of the pair of young cultivators.

Before the two of them had a chance to yell words of caution to their companions, a burst of black light suddenly shot forth from the winged man's third demonic eye, upon which he instantly disappeared.

A dull rumbling then erupted from nearby, following which white light flashed, and a humanoid figure appeared out of thin air, around several hundred feet away from the winged man.

This humanoid figure was an elderly man who appeared to be in his sixties. His hair had been organized into a triangular bun, and his remarkably long face was very attention-catching. As soon as this elderly man appeared, he grabbed the air before him in a vicious manner.

Spatial fluctuations erupted as a massive translucent yellow hand appeared above the winged man's head before swooping down like lightning.

However, the winged man seemed to have anticipated this well in advance. His wings merely flapped gently, and he disappeared on the spot as an arc of azure lightning. In the next instant, he appeared elsewhere nearby with a dark expression on his face.

"Eccentric Wind! You've been chasing me for over a month. You clearly know that you have no way to trap me, so why do you insist on prolonging this pointless chase?" the winged man roared with furrowed brows. His voice was like a string of thunderclaps.

All of the low-grade cultivators down below were caught off guard by this thunderous roar, and their ears immediately began to ring incessantly as they stumbled to the ground. The ones with the lowest cultivation bases among them had even fallen unconscious on the spot.

Only the few cultivators with higher cultivation bases or treasures with which they could use to protect themselves managed to remain conscious. However, they had also been completely immobilized and could only just barely tilt their heads back to look up into the air. Thus, all of them looked on with deathly pale features at the two seniors up above.

The pair of young cultivators who had discovered Han Li in the first place were among the few cultivators who had managed to retain their consciousness. However, they were also completely rooted to the spot like their companions.

Under normal circumstances, encountering a high-grade cultivator was a brilliant opportunity that they could only pray for. However, encountering two high-grade cultivators who were battling one another was a complete disaster to them. All of the young cultivators who were still conscious were completely horrified.

They hadn't witnessed a battle between high-grade cultivators in person, but they had heard from the seniors in their sects on more than one occasion about just how terrifying such battles were. All of those seniors warned them to get as far away as possible if they were to stumble upon a battle between such powerful beings. Otherwise, just the residual shockwaves from their clashes could prove to be lethal.

In the eyes of high-grade cultivators, the lives of Qi Condensation cultivators were barely worth more than that of ants, so they definitely wouldn't worry about trying to keep low-grade cultivators safe during their battles.

"Hmph, I don't care if you kill anyone else, but you killed one of my juniors right before my eyes! How could I let you off the hook for that? A mere Nascent Soul cultivator won't be able to last much longer anyway. Even if I have to sacrifice over 10 years of my lifespan, I'm going to take you down!" the elderly man said with a dark expression before pointing a finger toward Han Li, upon which the massive translucent yellow hand came crashing down again.

Han Li's wings flapped as he disappeared on the spot once again before reappearing over 100 feet away. Even though he had evaded that attack, he still wore a gloomy expression on his face.

This elderly man was an enemy that Han Li had unintentionally made when killing his last Yin Sifting Sect elder.

This man was a Deity Transformation cultivator that just so happened to be related somehow to that Yin Sifting Sect elder.

Han Li was quite remorseful for his decision to go after that elder. He was simply looking for Yin Sifting Sect elders to take their Ghost Sifting Banners, and he could've easily gone after someone else and avoided all of this trouble.

At the time, when this Eccentric Wind was with that Yin Sifting Sect elder, he had concealed his cultivation base, which made it appear as if he were only an early-Nascent Soul cultivator. As such, Han Li didn't pay any heed to this man and devised a strategy to lured out that Yin Sifting Sect elder. However, Eccentric Wind also arrived on the scene just in time to witness Han Li kill that elder.

He immediately erupted into a thunderous rage and revealed his astonishing Deity Transformation Stage cultivation base before pouncing toward Han Li.

If it weren't for Han Li's Thunderstorm Wings and Nine Gale Transformations, he most likely would've been captured.

Thus began his life on the run. If he had followed his initial plan, he would've continued to lurk in the Yin Sifting Sect for several months to see if he could pick off a few more elders. However, now that he was being pursued by a Deity Transformation cultivator, he naturally had to relinquish that plan and flee for his life. Thus, the Yin Sifting Sect was extended a lifeline. At his current power level, Deity Transformation cultivators were the only beings that he had to be wary of in this world, and by a stroke of terrible luck, he was now being hunted by one of the few Deity Transformation cultivators in the human world. In fact, this Eccentric Wind was so intent on catching him that he was even willing to sacrifice some of his lifespan to chase him down.

Even though his movement techniques were slightly inferior to Han Li's, his superior cultivation base bridged this gap, thereby allowing him to keep up with Han Li. Furthermore, he must have planted some kind of tracking device on Han Li as he was always able to track him down even Han Li had opened up some distance between them.

Han Li had checked his body on several occasions, but was unable to discover anything amiss.

This made Han Li even warier of Eccentric Wind, and he decided to try and wear his opponent down instead of continuing to flee. He knew the limitations of Deity Transformation cultivators, and he was planning to use his Myriad Year Spirit Milk to complete exhaust his opponent's magic power, then leave him behind once and for all.

However, Han Li was left completely speechless after half a month.

Perhaps this Eccentric Wind also possessed some Myriad Year Spirit Milk; in any case, he was able to continue to pursue Han Li through several states, and his spiritual Qi didn't seem to have waned in the slightest. But then again, as a Deity Transformation cultivator, it wouldn't be a surprise if he had some Myriad Year Spirit Milk.

As a result, Han Li really was almost captured by his pursuer on several occasions, and only managed to escape through the use of some of his treasures.

During their several encounters, Han Li had tried to persuade Eccentric Wind to give up in this pointless pursuit, seeing as he wasn't a Yin Sifting Sect cultivator, so there was no need for them to engage in a battle to the death.

However, this Eccentric Wind seemed to have grown very frustrated and humiliated by the fact that he had been unable to capture Han Li even after so long. As such, he brushed aside all of Han Li's attempts at persuasion and instead tried to persuade Han Li to surrender, in which case he would be granted a quick and painless death.

Han Li naturally rolled his eyes and paid no heed to those threats.

Thus, the two of them continued this game of cat and mouse for several days before finally arriving at this place. At this moment, Han Li finally stopped and decided to engage in a clash with this Deity Transformation cultivator. It would also be a good opportunity for him to assess the gap between himself and a Deity Transformation cultivator. As long as he could make his opponent understand that he would have to pay an extremely severe price Han Li, then he would naturally have to give up.

After all, if things were to continue in this manner, he'd have to use his Thunderstorm Wings quite frequently, and he would seriously be in trouble once the Divine Devilbane Lightning in his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords ran out.

Of course, what was unbeknownst Han Li was that even though this Eccentric Wind was acting tough, he was actually also finding Han Li to be very troublesome to deal with.

Han Li's possessed over twice the magic power of a normal late-Nascent Soul cultivator; that much had been apparent to him from the beginning. However, what the elderly man found most troublesome to deal with was Han Li's Thunderstorm Wings. Eccentric Wind also had quite a powerful movement technique, but he was still unable to capture Han Li despite his superior cultivation base.

At this point, it had become an issue of pride for him.

He wasn't actually all that closely related to that Yin Sifting Sect elder. He was simply one of the descendants of his juniors. However, as more and more Yin Sifting Sect elders were killed, they naturally arrived at the conclusion that another Deity Transformation cultivator had to have been behind all this, so they had immediately sought help from him.

Seeing as the Yin Sifting Sect elder was one of the few juniors who still knew of his existence, Eccentric Wind couldn't bear to turn him down and accompanied him to the Yin Sifting Sect.

There were only several Deity Transformation cultivators in the Great Jin, and no matter who it was that was targeting the Yin Sifting Sect, they would surely back down if Eccentric Wind were to stand up for the sect. As such, he had cast a secret technique onto this elder that would make him identifiable to all of the Deity Transformation cultivators that Eccentric Wind was familiar with. At the same time, he deployed some people to visit these Deity Transformation cultivators, and inquire about which one of them was behind all this.

After doing all that, he used a secret technique to conceal his cultivation base and decided to leave this matter after accompanying his junior back to the sect. As for whether the Yin Sifting Sect fell or not, that naturally didn't matter in the slightest to him.

However, in his complacency, he had allowed Han Li to kill that Yin Sifting Sect elder right under his nose.

If he really was another Deity Transformation cultivator, then Eccentric Wind naturally wouldn't challenge him, and he'd simply be forced to swallow that bitter pill. After all, if beings of their caliber were to engage in a battle, the loss of lifespan would be too heavy a price to pay for both sides.

However, after identifying the fact that Han Li was only at the late-Nascent Soul Stage, he immediately decided to kill him.

Unfortunately for him, Han Li's movement techniques and other abilities were all very troublesome to deal with, making him unable to chase him down even after around a month. He had already expended several years of his lifespan, and almost half of the tiny vial of Myriad Year Spirit Milk he possessed had been used up as well.

If he were to give up now, he simply couldn't swallow his pride and allow Han Li to get away. Furthermore, the treasures that Han Li had used were all quite powerful, and he was very tempted to kill Han Li and take those treasures for himself.

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Meanwhile, Han Li was also becoming quite enraged by Eccentric Wind's relentless pursuit.

Ever since he had progressed to the late-Nascent Soul Stage, he hadn't yet unleashed his two Divine Spirit Treasures. On top of that, he had infused Auric Essence into all 72 of his flying swords, and even he didn't know how powerful his Aureate Sword Formation would be. However, he was confident that even a Deity Transformation cultivator wouldn't be able to remain unscathed if they were to be trapped in it.

In any case, he also had those two Immortal Vanquishing Beads as his trump cards.

Thus, after taking all of that into account, Han Li decided that he had the resources to engage his pursuer in battle. As such, when the massive yellow hand came hurtling toward him again, he didn't use his Thunderstorm Wings to evade any longer. Instead, piercing golden light flashed as a sword projection sliced the massive hand in half, instantly vanquishing it on the spot.

Han Li's retaliation came as a surprise to Eccentric Wind, and his eyes narrowed in contemplation.

He was already rather confounded by the fact that Han Li was no longer fleeing the scene, so the attack that he had just unleashed was merely something to test the waters with. Now that Han Li was actively retaliating, he immediately realized that this late-Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to have decided to face him in a direct battle.

Eccentric Wind's expression remained unchanged, but a sense of elation welled up in his heart.

If Han Li were to continue to flee, he'd have to reconsider whether it was worth sacrificing more of his lifespan to continue in his pursuit. However, now that Han Li had decided to face him in battle, he'd have an opportunity to kill him before taking his treasures.

As such, Eccentric Wind exhaled and wasted no further time with words as he laid a hand onto the top of his own head.

Blue light flashed, and a hexagonal jade plate appeared. It appeared to be an antiquated treasure with mysterious runes of different colors shimmering over its surface.

As soon as this treasure appeared, a sinister smile appeared on Eccentric Wind's face.

In order to end this battle as quickly as possible, he was naturally going to crush his opponent in one fell swoop, thereby minimizing the amount of lifespan he'd have to sacrifice. During his previous brief scuffles with Han Li, he knew that Han Li had some powerful abilities and treasures. As such, he didn't dare to underestimate Han Li, and immediately summoned his most powerful treasure.

The jade plate began to rotate in mid-air before rapidly expanding amid a loud ringing sound. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a massive plate that was several tens of feet in size before tipping over to face Han Li.

Piercing blue light flashed from the plate, and it appeared that something was about to reveal itself.

Han Li's heart stirred upon seeing this, and he immediately swept both sleeves through the air. Several tens of small golden swords shot forth from within, instantly transforming into 72 golden flying swords, all of which were around a foot in length.

He then made a hand seal, and the 72 flying swords swayed before manifesting hundreds of identical swords. These swords danced through the air before transforming into a vast expanse of golden light, creating a rather formidable sight to behold.

Eccentric Wind faltered slightly at the sight of the vast number of flying swords that Han Li had summoned, but a cold smile then appeared on his face as he said, "No matter how many flying swords you have, it'll be nowhere near the number of my flying sabers. Let me show you the might of my Myriad Blade Plate!"

Han Li's eyes flashed as he turned his gaze toward the hexagonal jade plate.

The runes on the plate flashed a blue pillar of light shot forth, then dispersed into several streaks of blue light. Those streaks of blue light then flashed before instantly transforming into shimmering blue flying sabers, each of which was several inches in length. Blue pillars of light were still erupting incessantly from the jade plate, creating countless flying sabers that hovered above Eccentric Wind's head like a mountain of blades.

It was quite an intimidating sight for anyone to behold!

Han Li's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.

There had to be more than 4,000 flying sabers lined up in the air before him.

Right at this moment, Eccentric Wind swept a sleeve toward Han Li, and all of the blue sabers began to emanate brilliant spiritual light.

They then shot forth toward Han Li as streaks of blue light, and due to the sheer number of blades, the entire sky was obscured by blue light, making it appear as if there were a vast lethal wall of blue blades rushing toward Han Li.

Han Li's golden flying swords created an impressive spectacle, but it was nothing compared to the oncoming mountain of blades.

Han Li took a deep breath as his expression returned to normal. At the same time, he let loose a loud cry, yet instead of unleashing his flying swords to clash with the oncoming sabers, he raised a hand instead, A ball of green light slipped out of his palm, within which a green wooden ruler could be seen.

It was none other than the Eight Spirit Ruler!

As soon as the ruler left his hand, it began to dance through the air of its own accord. The projection of a silver lotus flower appeared on the ruler, and following an injection of magic power from Han Li, it expanded further and further, and the silver light emanating from it also became more and more scintillating.

Moments later, the silver lotus flower had reached over 100 feet in size, completing shielding Han Li behind it.

"That's the Eight Spirit Ruler! You're that Han brat that appeared on the Kunwu Mountains!" Eccentric Wind immediately exclaimed as he identified the spirit treasure.

At the same time, the mountain of blue blades faltered in mid-air, and didn't immediately come crashing down toward the massive lotus flower.

"You recognize me?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows.

"I don't, but Fellow Daoist Xiang once mentioned you to me. I heard that you're very familiar with Devilish Concubine Ling Long of the Spirit Realm?" Eccentric Wind's eyes flashed with a contemplative light as he spoke.

"I wouldn't say that, but I am indeed acquainted with her. When you say Fellow Daoist Xiang, are you referring to Xiang Zhili?" A peculiar look had also appeared on Han Li's face.

"Hmph, who else could I be referring to? Setting that aside for now, let me ask you this; before Devilish Concubine Ling Long returned to the Spirit Realm, did she mention anything about the spatial node to you or leave you any shortcuts to the Spirit Realm?" Eccentric Wind asked with his gaze focused intently on Han Li.

"Why are you asking that? Didn't Fellow Daoist Ling Long already offer guidance in this area to Master Xiong of the Myriad Demon Valley? Seeing as you're familiar with Brother Xiang, there's no way you wouldn't be aware of this." Han Li's heart jolted with surprise, but his expression remained calm and collected.

Eccentric Wind didn't believe Han Li in the slightest as he said in a cold voice, "There's no need for you to try and play dumb. I did a lot of research on what happened at the time, and that Devilish Concubine Ling Long was clearly very close with you. There's no way that she wouldn't have left you with a shortcut to the Spirit Realm. Hand over what she gave you, and I can let bygones be bygones."

"Hmph! Setting aside whether I actually do have what you're looking for, do you really think a mere Myriad Blade Plate can bring me down?" Han Li retorted in a bullish manner.

He wasn't a three-year-old kid; he wouldn't be that easy to fool. If he were to admit to this, then even he could survive this ordeal, the other Deity Transformation cultivators of the human world would definitely try to track him down, and he'd be in a world of trouble then.

A vicious light appeared in Eccentric Wind's eyes upon hearing this. He immediately made a hand seal, seemingly as if he were going to activate the mountain of blue blades again.

Han Li's heart tightened as he also injected more power into the massive lotus flower around him.

A fierce battle appeared to be imminent. However, right at this moment, a gentle voice suddenly sounded in the ears of Eccentric Wind and Han Li at the same time.

"Brother Feng, Fellow Daoist Han, please wait."

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this familiar voice, following which a peculiar look appeared on his face.

Eccentric Wind also stopped what he was doing as a hint of surprise surfaced in his eyes. He then suddenly turned toward a certain direction and harrumphed coldly. "Hmph, you sure got here just in the nick of time, Old Bastard Xiang."

"Hehe, I just so happen to be in a nearby state, and I found my way here after receiving your message, but I didn't think that the person you're hunting down is Fellow Daoist Han. I must say, I'm not sure who I should side with in this situation." the owner of the voice chuckled.

A flash of yellow light then appeared in the distant sky, following which a streak of yellow shot forth toward them like lightning, reaching them in just a few flashes.

The light receded to reveal an elderly man with a set of wizened features. His eyes were quite small, and he wore a faint smile on his face. This man was none other than Xiang Zhili, whom Han Li had met on several occasions in the past.

"Senior Martial Brother Xiang!" Han Li immediately cupped his fist in salute.

"I was the Yellow Maple Valley of the Heavenly South Region for several years, so it's indeed not incorrect for you to be referring to me as Senior Martial Brother. However, you sure are full of surprises, Junior Martial Brother Han! I didn't think that mere Qi Condensation cultivator from back then would've cultivated to such staggering heights. It looks like even I can be susceptible to misjudging character from time to time. I wanted to have a good chat with you when we last met at the Kunwu Mountains, but the unexpected troubles that befell us at the time prevented me from being able to do so," Xiang Zhili said to Han Li with a benevolent expression.

"I also didn't think that I would meet you again, Senior Martial Brother Xiang," Han Li replied with a wry smile.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, can you do me a favor and spare Junior Martial Brother Han? After all, he merely killed a descendant of one of your juniors; it's not worth engaging Junior Martial Brother Han in a battle to the death over such a trifling matter. Your Myriad Blade Plate is indeed a spirit treasure replica, but it's still no match for a true Divine Spirit Treasure," Eccentric Wind mediated with a smile.

"Hmph! He's just a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even with a Divine Spirit Treasure in his possession, he wouldn't be capable of unleashing its full power; how is he going to be a match for me?" Eccentric Wind chuckled coldly in a disdainful manner.

"Indeed, with just a single spirit treasure, Junior Martial Brother Han would naturally be no match for Brother Feng, but what if he possesses two Divine Spirit Treasures and several spirit treasure replicas?" Xiang Zhili asked.

Eccentric Wind's expression finally changed upon hearing this.

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Han Li's expression also changed upon hearing this. How did Xiang Zhili know that he owned more than one Divine Spirit Treasure?

However, he quickly realized the underlying reason behind this; this information had to have been leaked by the North Night Palace. Many years ago, Master Arctic Dragon had already guessed that he possessed the Heavenvoid Cauldron, and he had to have discussed this matter with other cultivators from the palace. Otherwise, Xiang Zhili could've obtained this information from the Scattered Star Seas. His location had always been a mystery, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he'd made a trip to the Scattered Star Seas.

Several possibilities appeared in Han Li's mind while a wary expression surfaced on his face.

Xiang Zhili seemed to have identified Han Li's unease, and he consoled, "There's no need for you to be concerned, Junior Martial Brother Han. Divine Spirit Treasures are extremely sought-after for normal cultivators, but Deity Transformation cultivators like us already stand at the pinnacle of the human world. These spirit treasures may indeed be quite powerful, but they'll only be the icing on the cake for us, so they're not treasures that we must obtain. Besides, all of us have lived for so long in this human world, we all naturally have one or two spirit treasures in our possession. However, using such spirit treasures requires a vast expenditure of magic power, and we wouldn't unleash them unless we were in mortal danger. Otherwise, if we stir up the world's origin Qi, we'll be doing a lot of harm to ourselves."

"I see. Looks like I was overthinking things." Han Li's expression eased slightly upon hearing this.

Xiang Zhili's words were quite reasonable, but Han Li naturally wasn't going to completely believe him.

After all, no one would reject a spirit treasure if they had the chance to obtain one. He could clearly see the greed in Eccentric Wind's eyes when he was looking at the Eight Spirit Ruler.

However, it sounded like Xiang Zhili was going to side with him in this situation. Perhaps he was wary of Han Li's abilities or simply wanted to appease Han Li for some other motive.

Han Li's mind was quickly scrambling to figure out a reason behind this.

"Hmph, what are you trying to say, Brother Xiang? Why do you insist on siding with this Han brat? He may have two spirit treasures, but I can surely take him down if I'm willing to sacrifice over 10 years of my lifespan," Eccentric Wind harrumphed.

"You're greatly underestimating Junior Martial Brother Han, Brother Feng. Even if you fight with everything you have, you may not be able to kill Junior Martial Brother Han. However, what's guaranteed is that you'll have to sacrifice at least several decades or even more than a century of your lifespan. Are you really willing to make such a huge sacrifice over a trivial matter like this?" Xiang Zhili shook his head with a serious expression.

"Over a century of my lifespan? Do you hold this brat in such high regard?" Eccentric Wind's heart jolted with shock as he appraised Han Li in an incredulous manner.

"Junior Martial Brother Han, you were the one who killed that Qian brat, Arctic Dragon, and the Yin Sifting Sect Master who recently disappeared, right?" Xiang Zhili asked with a faint smile on his face.

"Indeed, they were all slain by me," Han Li replied in a calm manner.

Eccentric Wind's brows furrowed upon hearing this.

"Junior Martial Brother Han, you've already witnessed the power of a Deity Transformation cultivator in the Kunwu Mountains. Using that as a reference, if you were to engage in a battle with Brother Feng now, what do you think will be the outcome?" Xiang Zhili asked.

"If we fight in a battle to the death, I have around a 10% chance of securing victory, a 30% chance of taking him down with me, and an over 50% chance of escaping, albeit with severe injuries," Han Li replied after carefully contemplating the question being raised.

Even Xiang Zhili faltered before bursting into laughter upon hearing this reply.

"Junior Martial Brother Han, I know that you're quite powerful, but isn't that too much of an exaggeration? Setting aside everything else, you proclaim that you have a 30% chance of taking Brother Feng down with you? What gives you the confidence to say that?"

Eccentric Wind also chuckled coldly in a disdainful manner.

Han Li appraised Xiang Zhili with a calm expression before flipping over a palm to summon a crimson ball. "That's an Immortal Vanquishing Bead!"

As expected of Deity Transformation cultivators, the two of them immediately identified the treasure, and every last hint of disdain was wiped away from Eccentric Wind's face.

Han Li didn't say anything else, but he raised his other hand and produced a similar black ball.

Even Xiang Zhili was quite astonished now.

"I happened to obtain a few Immortal Vanquishing Beads. If Fellow Daoist Feng insists on engaging me in a battle to the death, then death may well be what's waiting for him," Han Li said in a calm voice before azure light flashed over his palms, upon which the two Immortal Vanquishing Beads disappeared.

Eccentric Wind and Xiang Zhili glanced at one another, and both of them could see their own bewilderment mirrored in each other's eyes. If there was something in this world that even Deity Transformation cultivators had to be wary of, then Immortal Vanquishing Beads were definitely one of them. If they were to take a direct hit from one of those things, it would really be quite a troublesome situation.

If Han Li had four or five of those beads, then it really wouldn't be an exaggeration to claim that he could take them down with him.

"I didn't think that Junior Martial Brother Han would have such powerful treasures. However, I'm sure Fellow Daoist Feng will be willing to let bygones be bygones, so you won't have to use those Immortal Vanquishing Beads. Your powers far exceed those of other cultivators at the same cultivation base, so it's not an insult for us to regard you as an equal. What do you think, Brother Feng?" Xiang Zhili turned to Eccentric Wind with a smile.

Eccentric Wind's expression changed several times, but he could only concede in the end. "Hmph, I guess we'll do as you say, Brother Xiang. I'm willing to set aside our minor differences, but he has to answer my questions about spatial nodes."

"Haha, I was planning to ask the same thing. Please don't be so quick to jump to denial, Junior Martial Brother Han. After you reach the Deity Transformation Stage, you're also planning to ascend to the Spirit Realm through a spatial node, right? In that case, why don't you collaborate with us old folk?" Xiang Zhili chuckled.

"Collaborate?" Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this.

"Indeed. I'm sure you possess some information that we're unaware of. However, most of your time will be dedicated to making a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage, so you won't have much time to search for spatial nodes. Once we find the spatial node, all of us will be able to use it. In that case, we should join forces and work together for mutual benefit. What do you think, Junior Martial Brother Han?"

Eccentric Wind was also staring intently at Han Li, eagerly awaiting his response.

Han Li's brows furrowed, and he didn't immediately give a reply. Instead, he fell silent with a contemplative look on his face.

Xiang Zhili continued to hover in mid-air with a calm smile. He seemed to be quite confident and wasn't in a hurry at all.

After mulling the notion over for a long while, Han Li finally asked, "Will you and Fellow Daoist Feng be the only ones involved in the collaboration, Senior Martial Brother Xiang?"

"Aside from the two of us, Fellow Daoist Hu of the Heavenly Devil Sect will also be involved. Initially, Fellow Daoist Bai from the High Zenith Sect was also interested, but he has other important matters to attend to, so he won't be able to join us. As such, the three of us will the only ones participating in this collaboration. Hehe, don't look down on us old folk, Junior Martial Brother Han. Aside from Old Devil Che of the Myriad Demon Valley, we are the only Deity Transformation cultivators in the Great Jin," Xiang Zhili explained with a smile.

"Are there only so few Deity Transformation cultivators? I'd thought that for the Great Jin to be known as the cultivation holy land of the human world, there'd be at least seven or eight Deity Transformation cultivators here." Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.

"Three or four centuries ago, there were two other people. However, the conclusions of their lifespans were approaching at the time, so they decided to cultivate an extremely dangerous secret technique as a final roll of the dice. In the end, both of them were forced into self-detonation," Xiang Zhili explained with a wry smile.

Han Li also heaved a faint sigh upon hearing this before asking, "I recall that Fairy Ling Long left you some information, pointing out the location of dozens of spatial nodes. Have you been unable to find even a single one of them, Senior Martial Brother Xiang?"

"Of course not. Even though most of the spatial nodes have indeed ceased to exist or are nowhere to be found, we still managed to find three spatial nodes. However, two of them are completely inaccessible due to extremely fierce spatial storms at their openings. Entry would spell certain death for us. The final spatial node can be entered, but it's already extremely unstable, and could collapse at any moment. As such, we didn't dare to take the risk. We heard from Old Devil Che that he found a spatial node near the North Night Palace, but the North Night Palace Master caught wind of his intentions, and detonated the Heavenvoid Hall of the North Night Palace, destroying the spatial node in the process. Old Devil Che almost coughed up blood, such was his fury." It was Eccentric Wind who replied on this occasion. Even though he was speaking in a rather forlorn manner, it was quite clear that he was taking pleasure in Old Devil Che's misfortune.

"I see. I was wondering why so many high-grade demon beasts attacked the North Night Palace all those years ago. Isn't the North Night Palace Master afraid that Old Devil Che will seek revenge and slaughter her entire palace?" Han Li was rather perplexed again.

"He wouldn't dare to do that. You have to realize that the human world is, as the name suggests, a world dominated by our human race. Almost at all points in history, the number of human Deity Transformation cultivators have far exceeded that of demonic cultivators at the same cultivation base. The old devil has managed to survive to this point as all of the human Deity Transformation cultivators find it too troublesome to hunt him down. However, he wouldn't dare to do anything out of line, either. That's why we've allowed him to found and expand the Myriad Demon Valley for so long. Even so, he was forced to make an agreement with the Deity Transformation cultivators of the past, stating that his true body wouldn't be allowed to leave the valley for no good reason, and that he was strictly prohibited from the widespread slaughter of humans. Otherwise, all of us human Deity Transformation cultivators would join forces to kill him," Xiang Zhili explained with a cold smile.

"I see. I was wondering why such a massive gathering of demonic cultivators such as the Myriad Demon Valley was allowed to exist in the Great Jin."Han Li nodded with an enlightened expression.

"However, I recently heard that Old Devil Che seemed to have discovered another spatial node. I'm not sure if this is true or not, and nor do I know whether this spatial node is actually accessible," Eccentric Wind suddenly said.

"There's no need to mention that. Both Fellow Daoist Hu and I have examined that spatial node, and it's only accessible to Old Devil Che due to his superior constitution as a demonic cultivator. There are also spatial storms raging at the opening, and even though it's slightly milder than the spatial storms raging in the other spatial nodes we'd found before, they would still be lethal to us. Hehe, Old Devil Che is already planning to rely on his powerful body to enter that spatial node," Xiang Zhili chuckled.

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"Is Old Devil Che really planning to enter that spatial node?" This was clearly the first time that Eccentric Wind had been made aware of such news, and he was quite alarmed.

"Indeed. He'll probably take around a century or two to prepare. After all, entering a spatial node is an extremely perilous endeavor, and it's best to be as prepared as possible," Xiang Zhili said in a serious voice.

"That must mean Old Devil Che's lifespan is also about to draw to a conclusion. Otherwise, he would be far more patient and search for a more suitable spatial node." Eccentric Wind heaved a forlorn sigh.

"Old Devil Che refused to elaborate on this matter, but that's most likely the case. Otherwise, a cunning old devil like him certainly wouldn't be so bullish. In all honesty, Old Devil Che isn't the only one for whom time is running out. Our lifespans will also reach their conclusions in the next few centuries." Xiang Zhili's expression fell slightly as he spoke.

"Fellow Daoist Han, we've said everything we can; what is your decision?" Eccentric Wind's expression was also a little wistful as he turned to Han Li.

"I think Senior Martial Brother Xiang is right. I don't have much time to search for spatial nodes on my own, so I'm willing to hand over the information that I have. However, I have one condition; if you really do manage to find a suitable spatial node, I hope you can inform me right away so I can inspect it in advance and make preparations accordingly," Han Li replied in a calm manner.

"That doesn't even count as a condition; we'll be sure to do that even if you hadn't raised the issue! In fact, we may all enter the spatial node together so we can help one another along the way." Xiang Zhili was very pleased to see that Han Li had refrained from stating some kind of outrageous condition.

Han Li nodded before raising a hand, upon which a streak of white light flew forth toward Xiang Zhili. It was a simple white jade slip.

Xiang Zhili's eyes lit up as he accepted the jade slip, and an elated look appeared on his face after he injected his spiritual sense into the jade slip.

"Not only is there a lot of information about spatial nodes, there are even methods enclosed for setting up formations that would assist us in our venture into a spatial node. You've been very generous, Junior Martial Brother Han, so we definitely won't revoke our promise. Here are two Myriad Distance Talismans for you; once we find a spatial node, we'll immediately inform you." Xiang Zhili was overjoyed as he pulled two jade talismans out of his sleeve before tossing them to Han Li.

Han Li caught the two talismans before stowing them away.

Eccentric Wind had been scrutinizing Han Li this entire time, and his cold expression also eased slightly upon seeing Han Li hand over that jade slip.

"By the way, Junior Martial Brother Han, I have something that I have to tell you. With your current power level, normal late-Nascent Soul cultivators will be no match for you, so you'll have to abide by the rules established between us Deity Transformation cultivators now. Don't replicate the incident that took place at the Yin Sifting Sect. Otherwise, we'll be forced to hold you accountable," Xiang Zhili cautioned as he stowed the jade slip away.

"There are rules among Deity Transformation cultivators?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.

"It's not an extensive set of rules or anything like that. It's just that Deity Transformation cultivators are far too powerful, and if any one of them decides to give themselves free rein and do whatever they wanted, their actions could result in severe repercussions for the order of the human world. As such, rules were established between Deity Transformation cultivators of the human world a long time ago. After reaching the Deity Transformation Stage, not only is conflict between other beings of the same power level strictly prohibited, Deity Transformation cultivators are also not allowed to take part in any matters in the cultivation world. You killed so many Nascent Soul cultivators from the Yin Sifting Sect, including a great cultivator, and this has already caused unnecessary turmoil to order of the Great Jin. However, you weren't aware of these rules at that point, and nor are you a Deity Transformation cultivator, so we'll let things slide on this occasion, but you're clearly far more powerful than normal great cultivators, so these rules should be applicable to you as well. At the very least, you can't kill so many Nascent Soul cultivators in such a short span of time, nor do something that would severely impact another sect. Of course, these rules are to restrict you, but they're also for your benefit; from now on, other Deity Transformation cultivations won't be able to attack you as they please, either," Xiang Zhili explained with a smile.

Han Li faltered initially upon hearing this, but a smile quickly appeared on his face. "I'll be happy to abide by these rules seeing as I rarely ever address matters in my sect anyway. As for the incident surrounding the Yin Sifting Sect on this occasion, they deployed cultivators to the Heavenly South Region to hunt me down first, so I decided to retaliate and teach them a lesson."

"The Yin Sifting Sect incident is behind us now. As long as you don't do something like that again, you won't be held reprehensible. What are you planning to do in the upcoming span of time? If you don't have any urgent matters to attend to, how about accompanying Brother Feng and me to the Devil Cliff Mountain? We can introduce you to Brother Hu in the process. Fellow Daoist Hu has taken a few new concubines recently, and he sent an invitation to me to attend the ceremony. Fellow Daoist Feng, I trust you would've received an invitation as well, right?" Xiang Zhili suddenly changed the subject.

"I have, indeed. Otherwise, why would I appear here? I heard that not only are his three new concubines all early-Nascent Soul cultivators, all of them are also exquisite beauties. Speaking of which, is this the fifth or sixth time that we've been invited to the Devil Cliff Mountain by Old Devil Hu because he's taking new concubines? He sure is an energetic old devil. He already has so many concubines, yet he's still looking for more," Eccentric Wind said with a resigned shake of his head.

"Haha, it's not like you're not aware of this, Brother Feng; Old Devil Hu has always been fond of expanding his harem. Despite the number of concubines he has, he's extremely toward the virtuous maidens who catch his eye. He'll refrain from taking their virginities without consent, and he'll always hold a grand ceremony for them in order to officially establish their new identities as his concubines. He doesn't have an official Dao Companion, either, so these concubines basically share the role of his Dao Companion," Xiang Zhili chuckled.

"Hmph, I couldn't care less whether he continues to expand his harem or not. It's just that every time we're invited to one of these blasted ceremonies, we have to prepare congratulatory presents, but if I don't go, he might take offense to my absence. On top of that, he has extremely high standards and won't accept normal treasures, so I have to offer something of substantial value each time," Eccentric Wind said in a gloomy manner.

"We're only inclined to attend because we seek the spirit medicines growing on his Devil Cliff Mountain. If we're all saints with no desires like Fellow Daoist Bai, then we wouldn't be forced to attend these ceremonies," Xiang Zhili gave a nonchalant smile, seemingly unbothered by this minor inconvenience.

"The two of you are referring to the fellow Daoist in the Heavenly Devil Sect, right? I haven't received an invitation, so wouldn't it be rather inappropriate for me to barge into such an important ceremony? Besides, I haven't prepared a suitable present in advance, either." Han Li was rather hesitant.

"There's no need to trouble yourself with such trivial matters, Junior Martial Brother Han. I'm sure Old Devil Hu won't say anything if I bring a guest to his Devil Cliff Mountain. Besides, you've already presented a fantastic present in the form of the information in the jade slip, and I'm sure Old Devil Hu will be very thankful. If you really want to offer additional presents, then just give him an ancient treasure or two. You're not all that familiar with Old Devil Hu anyway, so it would instead be rather strange if you were to offer something of significant value. Besides, making this trip to the Devil Cliff Mountain will be an opportunity for you, Junior Martial Brother Han. The Demonic Heavenly Origin Pill that's unique to the Devil Cliff Mountain is quite useful when attempting a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage. This pill can only be refined using the spirit medicines growing on the Devil Cliff Mountain, so you won't be able to find it elsewhere. If you can take this opportunity to exchange for a pill or two, it'll be much easier for you to sense the world's origin Qi when attempting a breakthrough," Xiang Zhili said in a meaningful manner.

"The Demonic Heavenly Origin Pill? Is that the Demonic Origin Pill that's been missing since ancient times?" Han Li was quite startled upon hearing the name of this pill.

Xiang Zhi was rather taken aback by the fact that Han Li was aware of this pill, but he still smiled, and said, "Indeed, that's the one. I didn't think that you'd also know of this pill, Junior Martial Brother Han. In that case, I won't need to elaborate on it any further. Would you be willing to make the trip with us now?"

Han Li's expression became rather hesitant and indecisive.

The Misty Lunar Mountain Ranges are situated in the northwestern region of the Great Jin, extending for hundreds of thousands of kilometers along a border between two states. There were countless steep mountains within those mountains ranges, the tallest of which was extended for hundreds of thousands of feet into the air! The top half of that mountain was perpetually enshrouded under a layer of snow all-year-round, while a massive plot of flat land had been cleared out on the mountain's summit, upon which was constructed a series of huge palaces.

There were countless buildings on this plot of land, all of which were extremely beautiful and intricate, and had been refined from rare types of wood or jade.

The entire summit of the mountain was protected by some kind of restriction, such that even though there was a snowstorm perpetually raging outside, the climate within the formation was always warm and pleasant. There were countless types of exotic flora here, and beautiful women in palatial dresses of all colors were playing around between the palaces and building, letting loose peals of tinkling laughter from time to time that could completely entrance the listener.

This place was like paradise!

This was none other than the Devil Cliff Mountain, and the buildings on the summit of the mountain collectively formed the vastly renowned Devil Palace.

The master of the Devil Palace was none other than one of the few remaining Deity Transformation cultivators in the Great Jin, the grand elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect, Hu Qinglei.

He was a legendary figure who'd forged a resounding reputation for himself as far back as 1,000 years ago, and singlehandedly made the Heavenly Devil Sect the number one Devil Dao sect of the Great Jin. He was currently situated within the largest palace on the mountain summit, preparing a banquet to entertain a group of esteemed guests.

There weren't that many guests present at the banquet; only around seven or eight, but they were seated in two rows.

At the center of the palace stood several tens of lithe and graceful women in palatial dresses, performing a captivating dance.

On the main seat of the palace sat an elderly man with a wooden crown and a set of rather sickly features. He was leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed in a carefree manner.

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There were both male and female guests sitting on either side of the palace, and all of them wore smiles on their faces.

Moments later, the women in palatial dresses finally concluded their dance, then extended a respectful bow toward the elderly man perched on the main seat before exiting the hall.

"Senior Hu, this group of servants seem to be even more beautiful than last time. Looks like Fellow Daoist Yu and the others have been working quite hard," a blue-robed scholar sitting on the left suddenly said with a smile.

"Hehe, I have no other hobbies in life aside from my love for women. Perhaps I'll be able to take a step further in my cultivation base when I overcome this hurdle. Martial Nephew Yu and the others should dedicate more of their time and effort into cultivation. If one of them can reach the Deity Transformation Stage, then I won't have to worry about the Heavenly Devil Sect being eradicated when I pass away someday," Hu Qinglei said in an indifferent voice.

"There's no way that would happen, Senior Hu. There are many fellow Daoists from the Heavenly Devil Sect who are only a step away from the Deity Transformation Stage, and it's only a matter of time before they ascend to such heights. With the Heavenly Devil Sect's resounding reputation, no one would dare to offend it" the blue-robed scholar said with a fawning smile.

"Is that so? I heard that the Yin Sifting Sect is no longer one of the 10 great Devil Dao sects. This sect was once the number one Devil Dao sect for thousands of years, and their reputation was certainly no less prominent than that of my Devil Palace today. To think that they would also fall to such a pitiful state; even if they can avoid complete eradication, they would still be reduced to nothing more than a second-rate sect," Hu Qinglei chuckled coldly in response.

The blue-robed scholar and the other cultivators glanced at one another, wondering what Hu Qinglei was trying to say. None of them were able to decipher the meaning behind his words, so they all refrained from offering any replies.

"I heard that not only were seven or eight Nascent Soul Stage elders of the Yin Sifting Sect killed during this incident, even Fellow Daoist Fang has perished. However, the Yin Sifting Sect has no idea who the culprit could be. That's quite strange, when you think about it. Could it be that the Yin Sifting Sect has drawn the ire of a Deity Transformation Stage senior?" A brocade-robed man suddenly changed the subject in a seamless transition.

Hu Qinglei chuckled, and said, "Hehe, most of you have probably come here due to the Yin Sifting Sect incident, right? You can all rest assured; even though I don't know who the perpetrator is, it's definitely not one of us Deity Transformation cultivators from within the Great Jin. Otherwise, how could I be completely kept in the dark? It may be a certain powerful being from outside the Great Jin. However, if that being continues it's killing spree, we won't stand by and watch any longer." A dangerous light flashed through Hu Qinglei's eyes before quickly disappearing.

All of the other cultivators present were all very relieved to hear this. Thus, none of them mentioned this topic any further and began to discuss some interesting recent news in the cultivation world instead.

"By the way, Senior Hu, the last time you expanded your harem was 200 years ago; which female cultivators have caught your eye this time?" a green-robed woman who appeared to be in her thirties asked with a smile. She was also quite a beautiful woman herself.

All of the other cultivators were also quite intrigued to hear the answer to this question. After all, even though this grand elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect was an avid lover of women, there weren't actually all that many female cultivators who were official concubines of his in the Devil Palace.

"I didn't think that I would expand my harem any further, either. All three women are exceptional specimens with breathtaking beauty and brilliant cultivation bases to match. In particular, there's one woman who stands among the three, and she's the main reason why I've decided to expand my harem." A pleased smile appeared on Hu Qinglei's face at the mention of this topic, indicating that was very pleased with these three women.

"Hehe, to think that they'd receive such glowing praise even from Senior Hu; I'm really looking forward to seeing them," a mendicant with a set of vicious features chuckled.

All of the other cultivators present were also filled with anticipation, wondering what exceptional beauties the three female cultivators had to be to have caught Hu Qinglei's eye.

"Cultivators like us don't have a lot of rules and taboos like the mortals do. If you'd like to see them, I can call them here to pour some wine for all of you," Hu Qinglei offered with a smile.

However, the mendicant who had spoken immediately shook his head politely refused with a slightly overawed expression on his face.

Hu Qinglei ignored his objections and ushered over a young woman in a palatial dress who was standing nearby.

"Go and invite the three fairies here," Hu Qinglei instructed.

"Yes, I'll call them right aw..." Before the young woman had a chance to finish her reply, a streak of red light shot forth from outside the palace. The red light hurtled toward Hu Qinglei before revealing itself to be a voice transmission talisman.

A hint of surprise flashed through Hu Qinglei's eyes as he made a grabbing motion. The talisman was drawn into his grasp as a result before igniting into a ball of raging flames.

"Oh, looks like Eccentric Wind and Fellow Daoist Xiang are here, and they've brought a guest along with them as well. Who could be held in such high regard by those two?" A hint of bewilderment appeared on Hu Qinglei's face as he flipped his hand over to snuff out the ball of flames.

"Could it be Senior Feng from Paradise Island or Senior Xiang from the West Spirit Mountain?" the blue-robed scholar suggested.

Everyone else's expressions changed upon hearing this.

"Who else could it be aside from those two? However, it sounds as if they've also brought along someone whom I'm unfamiliar with. I really am getting rather curious now. Seeing as they've already reached the palace, it looks like I'll have to come out and greet them," Hu Qinglei chuckled.

"All of us should also go and greet the two seniors," the brocade-robed man said as he hurriedly rose to his feet.

Everyone else followed his example.

Hu Qinglei merely nodded in response before standing up and slowly making his way out of the palace, followed closely by all of the other cultivators.

The entire Devil Cliff Mountain was enshrouded under particularly fierce snowstorms, but a massive yellow light barrier was keeping it at bay, shielding the entire palace from the elements. The scenes outside the light barrier were a little murky, but one could still roughly make out what was going on out there.

At this moment, there were three humanoid figures hovering in the air above the light barrier, two of which were elderly men while the other was a young man. The trio was hovering in mid-air with calm expressions on their faces.

They were none other than Xiang Zhili, Eccentric Wind, and Han Li.

"The Devil Palace seems to have expanded, and there seem to be even more female servants in there now. Tsk tsk, looks like it's quite a sweet gig to be the grand elder of the number one Devil Dao sect," Eccentric Wind remarked as he looked at the clusters of buildings down below.

"Are you envious of me, Brother Feng? If so, you'll only need to raise the issue to Old Devil Hu. I'm sure he'd love to make you into the second grand elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect. In that case, he'll definitely construct a cave abode for you that's just as lavish as his palace," Xiang Zhili replied with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Forget about it. I'm a man who likes his peace and quiet. If I were to live in a place like this for too long, my mental state would eventually be compromised," Eccentric Wind sighed with a shake of his head.

Xiang Zhili smiled and didn't say anything further on the matter. Right at this moment, a group of cultivators emerged from the main palace down below before flying up to meet them.

Even though Han Li rarely spoke on the way here, he had been quite alert and attentive this entire time, and he quickly identified the elderly man with the wooden crown as a Deity Transformation cultivator. He then cast his eyes toward the other cultivators, and a faint cry of surprise escaped his mouth.

"Is there an acquaintance of yours here, Junior Martial Brother Han?" Xiang Zhili turned to him with a rather surprised expression. "There is indeed someone here whom I've met once before," Han Li replied in a calm voice.

"I see." Xiang Zhili nodded in response, but didn't pry any further.

At this moment, Hu Qinglei had already reached the light barrier, and he made a hand seal as he began to chant something.

Spiritual light immediately flashed from the light barrier before Han Li's trio, following which an opening appeared.

Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind flew in without any inhibitions. Han Li hesitated momentarily before also flying in as a streak of azure light.

The yellow light barrier quickly sealed over again.

Moments later, the three appeared before Hu Qinglei and the other cultivators.

"Brother Xiang, Fellow Daoist Feng, you two are a little late. I received news a while ago that both of you had already set off, how is it that you've only gotten here now? Did you encounter some unforeseen delays along the way?" Hu Qinglei asked with a slightly lackadaisical smile.

"That was indeed the case, Brother Hu. The two of us were delayed along the way due to some unforeseen circumstances. I'll elaborate on that later. For now, let me introduce to you this fellow Daoist here. Fellow Daoist Han is going to be joining us and will be treated as an equal..." Xiang Zhili pointed toward Han Li with a smile before delivering an introduction.

Meanwhile, one of the cultivators behind Hu Qinglei was quite surprised by the sight of Han Li.

Hu Qinglei was already a little taken aback by Xiang Zhili's words, and he began to silently scrutinize Han Li.

"My name is Han Li. Greetings, Brother Hu." Han Li cupped his fist in a salute with a calm expression. He was speaking and acting in a manner that was neither haughty nor humble, and he really did seem to intend to treat Hu Qinglei as his equal.

All of the other cultivators' eyes widened at the sight of Han Li's bold display.

"Hmph! Have you two gone old and senile? He's just a late-Nascent Soul cultivator; what right does he have to be treated as an equal by us?" Hu Qinglei's expression immediately darkened.

"Hehe, I have my reason, Brother Hu." Xiang Zhili chuckled before transmitting his voice to Hu Qinglei in a conversation that was silent to everyone else.

Hu Qinglei's expression was quite skeptical initially, but his eyes soon lit up with surprise and excitement, following which he began to nod emphatically.

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Following the conclusion of Xiang Zhili's voice transmission, Hu Qinglei's expression eased as he turned to Han Li, and said, "So you're familiar with Devilish Concubine Ling Long, and you contributed significantly to the devil-slaying effort on the Kunwu Mountains Fellow Daoist Han. Tsk tsk, you were also responsible for what happened at the Yin Sifting Sect recently. I must say, I'm quite surprised; I'd thought that a Deity Transformation cultivator had been responsible for these feats. In that case, you really are powerful enough to be regarded as my equal, Fellow Daoist Han."

"I've also heard a lot about you, Brother Hu. I hope you'll forgive me for making an unannounced visit like this," Han Li replied with a respectful smile.

"Of course! I'm naturally more than willing to acquaint myself with a brilliant prodigy like you, Fellow Daoist Han." Hu Qinglei then turned to Xiang Zhili with a smile on his face, and asked, "By the way, you two have some recollection of the other fellow Daoists here, right?"

The Nascent Soul cultivators standing behind Hu Qinglei had been completely dumbstruck upon learning the fact that Han Li had been involved in the Yin Sifting Sect incident that they had just been discussing. Furthermore, they were even more surprised to see Hu Qinglei regarding Han Li as an equal.

Only after being prompted by Hu Qinglei did they receive the opportunity to extend respectful salutes toward Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind, to which the two merely waved their hands to acknowledge their salutes.

However, after paying his respects to Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind, one of the Nascent Soul cultivators suddenly cupped his fist in a salute toward Han Li. An envious look appeared on his face as he said, "Congratulations, Brother Han. It's been a long time since we last met, and you've already progressed to the late-Nascent Soul Stage."

This was a young man in a set of green robes. He was none other than Old Man Bitter Bamboo, whom Han Li's humanoid puppet had once fought against. He was still at the pinnacle of the mid-Nascent Soul Stage after all this time, so it appeared that his cultivation path would conclude here.

Han Li didn't have a great impression of this Old Man Bitter Bamboo, but he still smiled as he replied, "I didn't think that I would meet you here, either, Fellow Daoist Bitter Bamboo. I only managed to progress to the late-Nascent Soul Stage through sheer luck."

Old Man Bitter Bamboo gave a slightly awkward cough upon hearing this, and he was just about to say something else when Hu Qinglei impatiently interjected, "Alright, this is not the place to talk. If you don't mind, you can all come to my palace for a chat, Fellow Daoists."

As such, Old Man Bitter Bamboo could swallow his words as he offered Han Li a smile.

Thus, the ground flew downward together, heading toward the palace that Hu Qinglei and the others had emerged from.

Everyone entered the palace before taking a seat.

Hu Qinglei was seated right next to Hu Qinglei along with Xiang Zhili's trio, clearly setting him apart from all of the other guests present.

It was no surprise that Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind were offered seats next to Hu Qinglei as they were Deity Transformation cultivators as well. However, Han Li was only at the Nascent Soul Stage, yet he had been given the same treatment. That was quite bemusing to all of the cultivators present, and everyone was speculating about his identity.

All of the guests in the palace were prominent characters in the cultivating world and even they were all quite perplexed, none of them allowed their confusion to creep onto their faces. However, the cultivator beside Old Man Bitter Bamboo was unable to repress his curiosity, and asked him about Han Li in a quiet voice. Even though he had made effort to keep his voice down, the entire palace was filled with high-grade cultivators, so his question was still audible to everyone.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo had only met Han Li once, so he was unable to provide much information, much to the dismay of all of the cultivators eavesdropping on their conversation.

Meanwhile, Han Li remained seated calmly in his chair with a calm expression, looking as if he were completely oblivious to the fact that everyone was dying to know who he was.

Hu Qinglei was chatting with Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind, as well as all some other Nascent Soul cultivators, and it appeared that none of the three Deity Transformation cultivators were going to introduce Han Li. As such, no one dared to ask them about Han Li, either, so they could only continue to deny their curiosity.

After a short while, the blue-robed scholar turned to Han Li with a meaningful expression before suddenly rising to his feet. He cupped his fist in a salute extended toward Han Li as he asked, "Fellow Daoist Han, I heard from Senior Hu earlier that you had something to do with the incident that had taken place at the Yin Sifting Sect not long ago. Is that true?"

Han Li was surprised to hear this question. He merely nodded calmly, and replied, "I was indeed involved in the incident that took place at the Yin Sifting Sect. Why do you ask? Are you connected to the Yin Sifting Sect somehow?"

"I'm just an itinerant cultivator with no ties to the Yin Sifting Sect, but I have met Fellow Daoist Fang from the Ying Sifting Sect on several occasions. This is not an extremely important matter, but I just wanted to ask if Fellow Daoist Fang's death had anything to do with you," the blue-robed scholar asked with a solemn expression.

All of the other Nascent Soul cultivators in the room had all fallen silent upon hearing this, awaiting Han Li's response to this question.

Hu Qinglei's conversation with Xiang Zhili and the others had also come to a temporary conclusion as he turned his attention toward Han Li with a hint of a smile on his face.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, and replied, "If you really want to know, then I have nothing to hide; the master of the Yin Sifting Sect was indeed killed by me."

His response created quite a stir among all of the Nascent Soul cultivators present.

"I see. Thank you for answering my question, Brother Han." The blue-robed scholar was also rather shaken by this response, but he merely nodded before taking a seat again.

This was rather surprising to Han Li, but he remained silent as a smile appeared on his face.

Hu Qinglei chuckled upon seeing this and was just about to say something when a servant in a palatial dress made her way over to him, ducking down by his side in a dainty manner before whispering something in his ear.

Hu Qinglei nodded and stroked his beard as he chuckled, "Even before your arrival, you were planning to see my three concubines-to-be, and I agreed. They're right outside the palace now, so I'll call them in to pour some wine for you. Hehe, feel free to bring out your congratulatory presents in advance. Especially you two, Brother Wind, Brother Xiang, you have to make sure to offer some presents of substantial value. Otherwise, it'd be quite embarrassing for you two if these juniors present were to make offerings more precious than yours."

"Hmph, ever since we've first met, I've lost count of how many treasures I've had to give you as presents because you keep taking more and more concubines! You sure are a lucky old rascal."Eccentric Wind harrumphed as a resigned expression appeared on his face. Despite his protests, he still flipped a palm over to produce a small wooden box, which he placed onto the table before him.

Xiang Zhili also pulled out a jade box with a smile, but didn't say anything.

Not only was Hu Qinglei not enraged by Eccentric Wind's words, he burst into raucous laughter instead as he said, "Haha, don't try to accuse me of benefitting from you two; all of the presents you've offered have been given to my concubines, and I haven't kept any for myself, so don't be so stingy. Besides, these treasures are nothing in comparison to your enormous wealth anyway, so you may as well hand them out to my beautiful concubines."

All of the other cultivators in the palace also began to offer congratulatory presents of their own, among which there were rare materials as well as dazzling ancient treasures.

Han Li had already decided on what present he was going to offer prior to coming here, and he pulled out two vials of pills from his storage pouch.

These pills were very effective for Nascent Soul cultivators to advance their cultivation bases, so it wasn't a bad present by any means.

Just as Han Li was examining all of the other presents being offered, he heard the sound of footsteps from outside the palace gates, following which a group of servants in five-colored palatial dresses strode in with three exquisite beauties at the center of their group.

All of the cultivators in the palace turned their attention to those three women in unison, and gasps of awe rang out in quick succession.

These three women really were extraordinarily beautiful!

One of them was rather petite, but her skin was as fair as snow and her facial features were like intricate works of art; another had an elegant figure with a pair of seductive eyes that were capable of captivating one's soul.

The last one to complete the trio was a lithe and graceful woman with luscious black hair. She was also quite an exquisite beauty, but the expression on her face was rather aloof.

All three women possessed exceptional looks and cultivation bases, and it was really difficult to determine which of the three was the most beautiful at first glance. However, the lithe and graceful female cultivator's facial features were exceptionally gorgeous, and each and every one of her movements seemed to infused with an air of seduction. However, her expression was quite cold and her eyes were completely blank, creating a stark contrast that somehow lent her a unique sense of allure, and all of the cultivators present couldn't help but take an extra glance at her.

In contrast, Han Li's body abruptly shuddered upon seeing this woman, and his expression changed drastically.

"You three, come and pour some wine for our fellow Daoists; they didn't come all this way here just to congratulate me. Violet Spirit, come here and pour some wine for my three esteemed guests here," Hu Qinglei instructed as he gestured to the lithe and graceful woman.

The other two women nodded with dainty smiles in response. Immediately thereafter, three servants made their way toward the three women, holding jade platters that were each carrying a wine flagon along with several cups. The two women accepted a platter each and began to offer wine to all of the guests. In response, all of the cultivators hurriedly rose to their feet and thanked them for their efforts.

However, the exquisite beauty by the name of Violet Spirit didn't immediately do as she was told. Instead, her brows furrowed slightly before she turned her gaze toward Xiang Zhili and the others.

A shudder ran through her entire body as she caught sight of Han Li, and the life seemed to have returned to her blank and aloof eyes. She stared intently at Han Li, seemingly unable to look away.

A series of emotions appeared on her face in rapid succession, beginning with incredulity, then elation, and finally a hint of concern...

Judging from her strange reaction, anyone could tell that she and Han Li were acquaintances, and very close acquaintances, at that.

Hu Qinglei's expression immediately darkened upon seeing this. The entire palace had fallen completely silent, and everyone turned to Violet Spirit and Han Li with peculiar expressions on their faces.

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"Do you know Fellow Daoist Han, Violet Spirit?" Hu Qinglei asked. His voice wasn't very loud, but they sounded like booming thunderclaps to Violet Spirit.

Violet Spirit hurriedly withdrew her gaze from Han Li as she forced a smile onto her face, and replied, "Brother Han is indeed an acquaintance of mine." She was trying to act in a calm and collected manner, but the drastic rise and fall of her chest clearly suggested that she was unable to contain her emotions.

"Violet Spirit, I didn't think that I would meet you here," Han Li said with a wry smile. However, his expression quickly reverted back to normal.

Hu Qinglei was silent for a moment before continuing in an indifferent voice, "It's great to hear that Violet Spirit and Fellow Daoist Han are familiar00. with each other. Why don't you offer some wine to Fellow Daoist Han, first, Violet Spirit? After entering my Devil Palace, you must cut all ties with your past life, so this cup of wine can act as a final farewell to Fellow Daoist Han." He didn't seem interested in asking about what relationship Han Li and his concubine-to-be shared.

The forced smile on Violet Spirit's face immediately stiffed upon hearing this.

One of the servants beside her handed her a jade platter, which was carrying a wine flagon and a green cup.

Violet Spirit looked down at the items on the platter, and her silky hair obscured most of her face, making it impossible for anyone to glean her current facial expression. However, she only faltered for a brief moment before gently picking up the wine flagon.

As she did so, the tense atmosphere that had descended over the palace lifted considerably.

The dark expression on Hu Qinglei's face also eased upon seeing this.

Han Li looked on in silence as Violet Spirit poured out a cup of wine before raising the cup with both hands. She raised her head and made her way over to Han Li in a graceful manner.

At this moment, all of the emotion had disappeared from Violet Spirit's face. She had adopted her cold and aloof facade again, and she was appraising Han Li as if he were a complete stranger.

Han Li's lips twitched slightly upon seeing this, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Fellow Daoist Han, please accept this cup of wine." Violet Spirit's voice was extremely flat and monotonous, as if those words were being spoken by a mere vessel without a soul. Her pitiable display evoked within all of the cultivators present a sense of sympathy...

Han Li didn't immediately reach for the cup of wine that was being offered to him. Instead, his gaze roamed up along Violet Spirit's arm, over her body, then finally settling on her intricate porcelain-like features.

His eyes slowly narrowed, and a tense atmosphere returned to the palace.

Hu Qinglei's expression remained unchanged, but a cold light flashed through his eyes.

Xiang Zhili seemed to have sensed something, and his brows furrowed as he took a glance at Hu Qinglie. Meanwhile, Eccentric Wind merely chuckled as he looked at Han Li and Violet Spirit's peculiar interaction, and it was impossible to glean his thoughts.

As for all of the other Nascent Soul cultivators, all of them also wore contrasting expressions, but it was quite apparent that most of them were looking forward to the imminent misfortune that was about to befall Han Li.

Han Li raised a hand and suddenly took the cup of wine from Violet Spirit before downing its contents in one go.

This turn of events came as quite a surprise to everyone within the palace. Hu Qinglei raised his eyebrows for a split second before his expression reverted back to normal.

A mixture of complex emotions surfaced in Violet Spirit's blank eyes, but she didn't say anything, either, as she took the empty cup from Han Li and prepared to turn away.

Just as everyone had thought that Han Li had bowed to Hu Qinglei's unspoken intimidation and that it was time to move on, Han Li suddenly said, "Hold on! If I'm not mistaken, a restriction seems to have been placed on your body, right, Violet Spirit?"

Violet Spirit shuddered once again as her footsteps unconsciously faltered.

The entire palace had fallen silent as everyone looked on with bated breath. Even a pin drop could be audibly heard amid the deathly silence.

Hu Qinglei's face remained completely expressionless as he calmly down the wined in his own cup, then said, "Have you had a bit too much to drink, Fellow Daoist Han? You're speaking like a drunkard!"

The discontent in his words was already very apparent.

"Don't worry, Brother Hu; I may have had a few cups of wine, but I'm still very much sober and capable of coherent speech." Han Li chuckled nonchalantly as if he were oblivious to Hu Qinglei's displeasure.

Hu Qinglei looked down at the crimson ring on one of his fingers as he mused, "Is that right? Let me ask you something, Violet Spirit; do you think Fellow Daoist is already drunk but simply doesn't know it himself?"

Violet Spirit's expression changed several times in quick succession upon hearing this, and she opened her mouth to say something, but failed to utter a single sound.

Hu Qinglei seemed to have sensed the hesitation in Violet Spirit's heart, and he turned his gaze toward her.

As he raised his head, everyone was given a fright at the sight of his face, and chills began to run down their spines.

Hu Qinglei's facial features had been completely normal just a second ago, but a layer of black Qi had suddenly appeared over his face and at the same time, his eyes had turned red and were shimmering with a cold light. Those were not the eyes that a human should possess.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, you..." Xiang Zhili wanted to say something, but was abruptly cut off by Hu Qinglei's frosty voice.

"Even if this is a friend of yours, do you expect me to suffer in silence in the face of his insolence? If he doesn't give me a proper explanation today, then I'll make sure he never leaves this place!"

Xiang Zhili could only give a wry smile upon hearing this. Instead of trying to persuade Hu Qinglei, he turned to Han Li with a shake of his head, and said, "Junior Martial Brother Han, you're aware of what you're doing, right? I won't be able to help you here; you'll have to give Brother Hu an explanation yourself. I trust that you'll be able to give Brother Hu a proper explanation."After saying that, Xiang Zhili closed his eyes to meditate, appearing as if he weren't interested in intervening with this matter.

Even though Xiang Zhili hadn't said much, Han Li could read between the lines and tell that he was trying to protect him.

It was just that Xiang Zhili and Hu Qinglei were both Deity Transformation cultivators and he clearly didn't want to engage Hu Qinglei in a direct conflict. As such, he could only offer a few cautionary words before detaching himself from the situation.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face as he turned to Violet Spirit, and asked, "Violet Spirit, we've known each other for many years and you're one of my few close friends. You have a restriction in your body, which suggests that you've been forced into this arrangement. I don't want to offend Fellow Daoist Hu, but I'm not heartless enough to completely ignore the situation when it's possible that you're being forced to do something against your will. I want you to be honest with me; are you willing to become Brother Hu's concubine? If so, then I naturally wouldn't insist on ruining a mutually loving relationship. However, if you're not willing..." Han Li's voice trailed off here, but the implications behind his words were quite apparent.

"I..." Violet Spirit's face was filled with a mixture of urgency, hesitation, helplessness, and a series of other emotions. She seemed to be eager to respond, but didn't know what to say.

"There's no need to ask her; it doesn't matter whether she's willing to become my concubine or not. What are you going to do even if she's being forced into this arrangement against her will? Are you going to forcibly take her away from here?" Hu Qinglei turned to Han Li with a deriding sneer.

"So you really are being forced against your will. Is that right, Violet Spirit?" Han Li asked for confirmation.

Violet Spirit was petrified of Hu Qinglei, but Han Li had progressed to the late-Nascent Soul Stage and didn't seem to fear Hu Qinglei. Upon making these observations, a desperate impulse flashed through her heart as she gritted her teeth, and replied, "Several years ago, I unintentionally revealed my true appearance and was forcibly captured by a few Heavenly Devil Sect elders. I was never given a choice in the matter."

Hu Qinglei merely remained silent and listened with a cold smile on his face. All of the other cultivators present also displayed minimal reactions.

Forcibly abducting female cultivators was very frowned upon in Righteous Dao sects like the High Zenith Sect, but it was an extremely commonplace occurrence in Devil Dao sects, to the point that it was regarded as something that was completely justified and reasonable.

All the cultivators present naturally weren't related to any Righteous Dao sects, so it was no surprise that they weren't appalled in the slightest.

"That's all I needed to hear, Violet Spirit. Brother Hu, I have no intention of causing any offense to you, so there's no need for you to be angry. Everything in this world has a price; I'm willing to offer something in exchange for Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit's freedom," Han Li said in a calm voice, appearing as if he were completely oblivious to Hu Qinglei's discontentment.

"An exchange? You think you have what it takes to strike a deal with me?" Hu Qinglei faltered slightly before a peculiar look appeared on his face.

"Do you think I'm unworthy, Brother Hu?" Han Li asked.

"That's right! You don't have what it takes to offer me a deal! You may be more powerful than the average late-Nascent Soul cultivator, but you're still nothing in my eyes. Do you really think you're my equal just because Fellow Daoist Xiang brought you here with him? Besides, what can you possibly offer to tempt me? Oh right, I heard you've got two spirit treasures. If I want to, I can simply kill you and take those spirit treasures!" Hu Qinglei threatened in a sinister voice. At the same time, a layer of black light surfaced over his body, and it seemed that he really did intend to kill Han Li.

A cold light flashed through Han Li's eyes as he transmitted voice to Hu Qinglei. "Fellow Daoist Xiang must've told you about my spirit treasures, but did he also tell you about my Immortal Vanquishing Beads? Besides, do you really think I handed over all of the information I have regarding the spatial node? Or are you confident that you can capture me alive and use a soul search technique on me despite the Immortal Vanquishing Beads I possess?"

The menacing look on Hu Qinglei's face changed drastically upon hearing this. He stared intently at Han Li with a cold expression and suddenly fell completely silent.

Moments later, Hu Qinglei transmitted his voice to Eccentric Wind. "Fellow Daoist Wind, does this brat really have an Immortal Vanquishing Bead?"

Hu Qinglei was using some type of secret technique to transmit his voice without moving his lips, and even Han Li was unable to catch him in the act despite his powerful spiritual sense.

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Eccentric Wind naturally harbored discontent toward Han Li in his heart, but he certainly wasn't going to deceive Hu Qinglei. As such, after a brief hesitation, he transmitted his voice in response. "Not only does this brat have an Immortal Vanquishing Bead, he appears to have more than one. It'll be quite difficult for you to kill him, Brother Hu."

Hu Qinglei's expression remained unchanged, but his heart jolted upon hearing that. One Immortal Vanquishing Bead would already be quite troublesome to deal with; if he had more than one, then he posed a substantial threat. However, that wasn't what he was most wary of.

With that in mind, Hu Qinglei transmitted his voice to Xiang Zhili, and asked, "Brother Xiang, did you know that the information he provided about the spatial node may be incomplete?"

Xiang Zhili transmitted his voice in reply, "It makes no difference whether I knew or not; if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't reveal all of the information I had, either. The important thing is that he's agreed to collaborate with us. so he'll naturally reveal all of the information we want to hear over time. I don't care what you do to him, but make sure you leave him alive. Otherwise, I'll be forced to step in."

"Hmph, but this little brat is displaying such insolence. If I were to back down now, everyone would think that I'm scared of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator!" Hu Qianlei was very displeased.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, you seem to have become a little foolish from spending so much time in this Devil Palace of yours. At our cultivation bases, what does it matter what other people think about us? That woman is indeed a fine beauty, but are you going to relinquish an opportunity to pursue immortality just for a concubine? If you really aren't willing to let things slide, then you can teach him a lesson if you'd like. As long as you don't kill him and can ensure that you won't turn him against us, I'll pretend not to see anything," Xiang Zhi Li replied.

Hu Qinglei was silent for a moment before deciding, "Looks like I'll have to play the role of the antagonist here, then. Let's see if he can offer anything useful in exchange for Violet Spirit."

He then turned to Han Li with a cold expression, and said, "Seeing as you were brought here by Fellow Daoist Xiang and Fellow Daoist Wind, I'm willing to let things slide. As long as you take back what you said, I can pretend that you had merely misspoken."

The threat in his words was very apparent, but he was giving Han Li a chance to bury the hatchet at the same time.

All of the Nascent Soul cultivators in the palace were very surprised to hear this. It was quite clear that this grand elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect really did seem to be rather wary of Han Li. Otherwise, there was no way that he would be willing to afford this opportunity to Han Li.

Thus, all of them turned to Han Li with bewilderment on their faces, trying to figure out how he was able to make Hu Qinglei change his mind.

"Thank you for your generosity, Fellow Daoist Hu. Unfortunately, I don't have a habit of taking back the words I've spoken. As such, I'll have to ask you to consider what I said earlier," Han Li replied without any hesitation.

Hu Qinglei really was enraged this time. The veins on his forehead bulged as he glowered at Violet Spirit and Han Li, and an astonishing burst of spiritual pressure erupted throughout the palace. His body instantly transformed into a massive vortex, forcing all of the spiritual Qi within the palace to converge toward him. All of the Nascent Soul cultivators stirred as they experienced Hu Qinglei's unfathomable power, and the same thought flashed through their minds; it appeared that he had well and truly been enraged, and was about to attack Han Li.

With that in mind, the cultivators who were seated close to Han Li glanced at one another before rising to their feet and retreating a few steps. No one wanted to be caught up in a battle between the two of them, should one eventuate.

Even though Violet Spirit had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, she was naturally unable to withstand the devastating spiritual pressure being exerted by a Deity Transformation cultivator. As such, her exquisite features immediately paled as she stumbled back a couple of steps toward Han Li's table.

A warm yet firm hand appeared on her shoulder, injecting a burst of extremely pure magic power into her body.

Violet Spirit felt a surge of warmth circulate through her entire body, following which the spiritual pressure that had been as unbearable as a glacial storm a moment ago suddenly felt like nothing more than a gentle spring breeze to her.

She reflexively turned her head to discover Han Li's hand resting on her shoulder as he gave her a reassuring smile.

She didn't know why Han Li could remain so calm in this situation, but the uneasiness in her heart miraculously vanished at the sight of his smile.

She bit down on her lower lip before returning his smile as a faint blush appeared on her face.

Upon seeing this, Hu Qinglei was enraged to the point of laughter as he abruptly withdrew his powerful spiritual pressure. "Hehe, if you really want her that badly, then I'm willing to strike a deal with you. In exchange for Violet Spirit's freedom, I'll accept your two spirit treasures."

All of the other cultivators cast surreptitious glances at one another upon hearing this. In their eyes, Hu Qinglei was clearly unwilling to release Violet Spirit. Otherwise, why would he state such an absurd condition? Spirit treasures were the most powerful and rarest treasures in the human world, and countless lives had been lost during battles for these treasures. Even the average great cultivator would be lucky to have one or two spirit treasure replicas in their possession, yet Hu Qinglei was asking for two spirit treasures in exchange for Violet Spirit's freedom. He was clearly not displaying any sincerity at all.

But then again, it was already quite surprising that Hu Qinglei hadn't simply attacked Han Li right away. What was even more surprising to everyone was that Han Li possessed two spirit treasures. It was no wonder that he was able to wreak such havoc in the Yin Sifting Sect on his own, and it appeared that he wasn't lying when he had proclaimed that the master of the Yin Sifting Sect had fallen by his hands.

All of the Nascent Soul cultivators were discussing spiritedly among themselves, while Violet Spirit's face had turned deathly pale after hearing this condition. She was naturally also aware of just how valuable spirit treasures were, and she knew that there was no way anyone would agree to such a ridiculous exchange.

As expected, Han Li heaved a faint sigh, and refused, "It's clearly unrealistic for me to offer my spirit treasures in this exchange, Fellow Daoist Hu. Please forgive me, but I must turn you down."

"Then your Immortal Vanquishing Beads will also suffice," Hu Qinglei chuckled coldly.

Han Li's brows furrowed as he shook his head, and replied. "I can't hand over my Immortal Vanquishing Beads, either. Even if I was willing to offer those beads, I'm afraid that I would be completely at your mercy without them."

"Hehe, it seems that you do know your place, after all, but aside from your spirit treasures and Immortal Vanquishing Beads, what else can you offer to me? I've lived for over 1,000 years and even if there were still some things that could tempt me in this human world, there's no way that they would be in your possession," Hu Qinglei scoffed with a deriding look.

"Really, now? I beg to differ. May I ask how many years of your lifespan still remain?" Han Li asked with a chuckle.

"Even though I'm in the twilight phase of my life, it would still be no issue for me to live another 300 to 400 years. Why do you ask?" Hu Qinglei was rather taken aback by this question.

A mysterious look appeared on Han Li's face after receiving this reply. His lips tremored as he began to transmit his voice rather than continuing to communicate through direct speech.

"If I gave you a chance to extend your lifespan by another 400 to 500 years, would you be willing to release Violet Spirit, Fellow Daoist Hu?"

"400 to 500 years? Are you referring to the Returning Sun Water?" The deriding sneer on Hu Qinglei's face was abruptly wiped away as he unconsciously sat up straighter with a look of rapt focus in his eyes.

Eccentric Wind was unable to hear the contents of their voice transmission conversation, but he was quite surprised to see Hu Qinglei's vehement reaction.

Xiang Zhili also opened his eyes at the same time as he turned to Hu QInglei with a befuddled look.

Only then did Hu Qinglei realize that he had let his emotions get the better of himself. Thus, he immediately recomposed his expression as he continued to transmit his voice to Han Li.

"The Returning Sun Water is the only spirit medicine in the human world that can extend one's lifespan to such an extent. Do you really possess such an extraordinary medicine? If so I would be more than willing to release Violet Spirit, and I can even offer you some additional benefit in exchange."

Hu Qinglei's voice had become extremely warm and earnest, as if he had become a completely different person.

"I don't have any Returning Sun Water, but I do have Glacial Quintessence, which is one of the main ingredients required to refine Returning Sun Water," Han Li replied in a truthful manner.

"Only Glacial Quintessence?" A hint of disappointment had crept into Hu Qinglei's voice. He felt as he Han Li had thrown him onto an emotional rollercoaster.

"If I really did have Returning Sun Water, why would I offer you a deal? I could just give it to either one of Senior Martial Brother Xiang or Fellow Daoist Wind, and they would definitely be willing to forcibly rescue Violet Spirit for me. I'm sure that you know the refinement method for Returning Sun Water; even though Puresun Flame Essence is quite difficult to find, a sect as powerful as your Heavenly Devil Sect still has a very high chance of being able to source some. I believe this is a fair exchange, won't you agree, Brother Hu?" Han Li proposed in a confident voice.

To Deity Transformation cultivators like Hu Qinglei, a spirit medicine that could extend their lifespans was definitely much more tempting than a spirit treasure or two. As such, Han Li was sure that Hu Qinglei would agree to this exchange. If he didn't possess such an item, it really would be quite difficult for him to rescue Violet Spirit. Of course, he only dared to mention this item as he could already tell that Hu Qinglei was rather wary of him. Otherwise, revealing the fact that he possessed Glacial Quintessence would only be giving Hu Qinglei another reason to kill and rob him.

Hu Qinglei fell into a period of silent contemplation after hearing Han Li's proposal.

Eccentric Wind and Xiang Zhili glanced at one another, and they could see their own surprise mirrored in each other's eyes. Neither of them knew what Hu Qinglei had discussed with Han Li, but it was quite apparent that Hu Qinglei's rage had been completely quelled.

All of the other Nascent Soul cultivators were also very curious, but none of them dared to ask any questions.

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"According to my knowledge, Glacial Quintessence is something that can only be found at the North Night Palace. If it weren't for the fact the North Night Palace had a Deity Transformation cultivator among their ranks in the past, and that Puresun Flame Essence is extremely difficult to find, their Glacial Quintessence would've been forcibly taken long ago. The North Night Palace has since lost its Deity Transformation cultivator, but their Glacial Quintessence also disappeared many years ago. I had infiltrated the North Night Palace in person to search for it, but was unable to find it. Where did you get this Glacial Quintessence? Could it be the very same vial that the North Night Palace had lost?" Hu Qinglei interrogated?

Han Li seemed to have predicted that Hu Qinglei would ask him such a question, and he replied, "Of course not; how could there be such an unlikely coincidence? I was only able to obtain some Glacial Quintessence from the Myriad Year Profound Jade in the Profound Jade Cave of the North Night Palace's Spirit Void Hall. I won't be handing over all of it during this exchange, either, but there should be enough to make two portions of Returning Sun Water."

At this point, Hu Qinglei suddenly ceased transmitting his voice and spoke for everyone to hear. "Hmph, I don't care where you got this item from. Excessive consumption of this item will only be detrimental anyway, so I don't need any more than the bare minimum. However, if you want to offer this item in exchange for Violet Spirit's freedom, then I have another condition. If you agree to my condition, then I'll release Violet Spirit."

"What's your condition?" A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes. He wasn't expecting Hu Qinglei to impose another condition.

Hu Qinglei took a cold glance at Violet Spirit before replying, "It's quite simple; aside from giving me the item that you promised, you also have to take a single attack from me without evading nor using your Immortal Vanquishing Beads. If you can do that, then you have yourself a deal."

Xiang Zhili's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly recomposed himself again. In contrast, Eccentric Wind was looking at Hu Qinglei with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Everyone else also wore contrasting expressions.

Hu Qinglei's drastic change in attitude was already quite perplexing to everyone; all of them were wondering what kind of treasure Han Li could possibly be offering to elicit such a strong reaction from a Deity Transformation cultivator. However, after hearing the additional condition that Hu Qinglei was imposing, everyone was even more befuddled.

Han Li's pupils contracted as he repeated for confirmation, "I have to take an attack from you and I'm not allowed to evade?"

"That's right; that's my condition. If I don't teach you a lesson, everyone will think that anyone can just take my concubines away from me as they please!" Hu Qinglei replied in a sinister voice.

The entire palace fell silent once again as many fell into deep thought. Could it be that Hu Qinglei was trying to kill Han Li, after all? The disparity between a Nascent Soul cultivator and a Deity Transformation cultivator was an extremely drastic one. If Han Li were prohibited from evading, how was he supposed to be able to survive an attack from Hu Qinglei.

With that in mind, everyone turned their attention toward Han Li, and Violet Spirit's face paled even further.

After a brief silence, she suddenly gritted her teeth, and said in a bitter voice, "There's no need for you to do this, Brother Han. I've changed my mind; I want to stay here in the Devil Palace. You can leave on your own, Brother Han."

Han Li faltered upon hearing this before quickly gleaning her intentions.

However, before he had a chance to say anything in response, Hu Qinglei interjected in a cold voice, "Do you think my Devil Palace is an inn where you can come and go as you please? I've already agreed to this deal, so you can't stay here even if you want to. You won't turn down my condition again, will you, Fellow Daoist Han?"

Han Li shook his head with a nonchalant expression, and replied, "If it's just one attack, then I really do want to give it a shot."

Hu Qinglei chuckled as he lifted a hand and pointed a finger toward Violet Spirit.

All of a sudden, she was struck by a numb yet itchy sensation in her dantian, and she let loose an involuntary cry. Her lithe and graceful figure swayed as several black threads emerged from within her body, disappearing into Hu Qinglei's finger after circling through the air like a group of miniature spirit snakes.

Only then did Violet Spirit stand up straight again, and her expression lit up with surprise and elation as she felt her magic power circulating throughout her body. She had been unable to use her spiritual power before, but it was now gushing into her meridians. Han Li also swept his spiritual sense toward Violet Spirit upon seeing this, and a content look appeared on his face a few moments later.

The restriction within her body had indeed ceased to exist.

"Hand it over!"

As soon as he lifted the restriction in Violet Spirit's body, Hu Qinglei turned to Han Li with a cold expression.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face as he abruptly raised a hand, following which a streak of white light shot forth from within his sleeve.

Hu Qinglei's eyes lit up as he made a grabbing motion, drawing the streak of white light into his hand.

The white light receded to reveal a white jade vial.

Hu Qinglei swept a sleeve gently over the vial, and the lid flew off of its own accord. At the same time, rings of black light began to proliferate through the air, creating a black light barrier that prevented others from being able to ascertain the contents of the jade vial with their spiritual sense.

The precautionary measures that Hu Qinglei was taking made everyone even more curious, and even Xiang Zhili had fallen into deep thought as he stroked his beard absentmindedly.

A few moments later, Hu Qinglei had verified that it was indeed Glacial Quintessence that was stored within the vial, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

He replaced the lid of the vial before flipping his hand over, following which the vial completely disappeared.

After doing all that, he raised his head to turned his gaze toward Han Li again. The smile on his face faded, only to be replaced by a menacing expression. All of a sudden, black light flashed around his body and he abruptly transformed into a streak of black light as he flew out of the palace, leaving only a cold parting sentence in his wake.

"I'll be waiting for you outisde, Han brat. Don't make me wait too long."

Before he had finished his sentence, the streak of black light had already disappeared into the distance, but his voice continued to echo throughout the palace.

Han Li did not appear to be flustered in the slightest in the face of the daunting task that awaited him. He poured a cup of wine for himself in a leisurely manner, drinking it in a few sips before rising to his feet with a calm and collected expression.

In contrast, Violet Spirit's brows were furrowed with concern as she asked, Brother Han, are you really going to take an attack from him? He's a Deity Transformation cultivator!"

"Don't worry, if it's just one attack, then I have a good deal of confidence in myself," Han Li replied with a calm and reassuring smile.

He had managed to withstand an attack from the avatar of an Elder Devil even prior to reaching the late-Nascent Soul Stage, so he was relatively confident in his ability to take an attack from a Deity Transformation cultivator.

"Then allow me to come with you, Brother Han. I want to support you," Violet Spirit insisted with a determined look in her eyes.

Han Li hesitated momentarily at the sight of her resolute expression before nodding in the end.

Spiritual light flashed over his body as he latched onto Violet Spirit's hand, and the two of them hurtled out of the palace as a streak of azure light.

All of the other Nascent Soul cultivators also flooded out of the palace. They certainly weren't going to miss out on such a spectacular match-up.

Even the other two gorgeous female cultivators who were set to become Hu Qinglei's concubines made their way out of the palace with the other servants following a brief hesitation.

All of a sudden, Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind were the only ones left in the palace.

The two of them sat in silence, seemingly completely disinterested in joining everyone else.

"Brother Xiang, what do you think about this?" Eccentric Wind asked.

"What do I think about what?" Xiang Zhili responded expressionlessly.

"The treasure that Han brat offered, of course. What could he have offered to draw such a strong reaction from Fellow Daoist Hu? There aren't many things in this world that can tempt him to such an extent," Eccentric Wind chuckled coldly.

"It's just as you said; such treasures are rare, but certainly not non-existent, so what's there to be surprised about?" Xiang Zhili remained quite calm.

"Brother Xiang, are you really not interested in knowing what such a treasure was? It has to be something that could be very useful to us as well," Eccentric Wind said in a meaningful voice.

Xiang Zhili heaved a faint sigh, and replied, "So what even if that treasure was something that could help us break through our current bottlenecks or prolong our lifespans for another few centuries? Do you think making a breakthrough now will allow us to ascend to the Spirit Realm? Or do you think that we'll be able to progress to the late-Deity Transformation Stage after a few more centuries of cultivation? If not, then there's no point in distracting ourselves with such inconsequential matters. We should instead be focusing solely on searching for a spatial node. You and I will have a chance at attaining immortality as long as we can find a suitable spatial node; everything else is trivial in comparison. "

Following a brief period of contemplation, a wry smile appeared on Eccentric Wind's face as he said, "You're right, Brother Xiang. I was led astray by my greed there. In reality, regardless of what that treasure was, there's no chance that we'd be able to get our hands on it now that it's in Fellow Daoist Hu's possession. In any case, it appears that he has no intention of disclosing what the treasure was to anyone. I'm more concerned now that he asked that Han brat to take an attack of his; he's not trying to take advantage of this opportunity to kill Han Li, is he?"

"It'll be fine; I already warned Fellow Daoist Hu against killing Han Li earlier. Besides, Junior Martial Brother Han must be quite confident in his own abilities. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to this condition. Having said that, Fellow Daoist Hu has always been quite volatile and unpredictable, so we should still go and have a look in case any mishaps arise. It'll be really bad for us if he hurts Han Li in a moment of madness."With that in mind, Xiang Zhili's brows furrowed, and he suddenly wasn't as calm and collected as he was before.

Eccentric Wind nodded in agreement as he also rose to his feet.

The two of them swayed in unison before abruptly disappearing on the spot.

In the next instant, the two of them had appeared outside the palace before vanishing again in a flash.

A short while later, the two of them stopped some distance away from the palace. High up in their air over 1,000 feet away from them, Han Li and Hu Qinglei were already facing off against one another.

Both of them were completely calm and expressionless.

There were many cultivators spectating from down below and hundreds of beautiful Devil Palace female servants had flocked out from the other palaces nearby. All of them were discussing spiritedly among themselves with excitement etched on their faces.

It was no wonder that they were so excited; seeing the master of the Devil Palace himself in action was quite a rare occasion, even for them.

Eccentric Wind looked on with narrowed eyes before suddenly turning to Xiang Zhili as he asked, "Do you think that Han brat will be able to withstand the attack if Fellow Daoist Hu uses his full power?"

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"That'll depend on what Fellow Daoist Hu wants to do. If it's just an ordinary attack, then he'll have no issues withstanding it. However, if he's willing to sacrifice part of his lifespan to use that spirit treasure of his, then Junior Martial Brother Han will be in some trouble. Fellow Daoist Hu most likely won't do something so foolish, though," Xiang Zhili replied with furrowed brows.

"Your analysis is spot on, as usual, Brother Xiang, but you may not have heard about this yet; Fellow Daoist Hu recently obtained a treasure that's apparently no less powerful than a spirit treasure. However, this treasure requires the usage of a special secret technique before it can be activated. As long as Fellow Daoist Hu injects some of his magic power into the treasures, it'll be capable of unleashing unfathomable might. I think there's a very good chance that he'll use that treasure, " Eccentric Wind chuckled.

"Is that so?" Xiang Zhili's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Just as Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind were conversing with one another, the two people locked in a confrontation in the air above finally sprang into action.

Hu Qinglei swept a sleeve through the air and a ball of green light shot forth before transforming into an object that hovered in front of him.

It was an antiquated scroll with peculiar green light shimmering over its surface, striking one with a sense of mystery.

Hu Qinglei aimed a cold glance at Han Li before suddenly making a hand seal as he began to chant something.

The scroll slowly began to unfurl amid his chanting voice. A ball of green light began to flash incessantly as the scroll was spread open, revealing a piece of gorgeous scenic artwork containing around a dozen or so green mountains of different sizes.

However, before anyone had a chance to catch a clear glimpse of the artwork, a burst of green mist rose up from the scroll, instantly obscuring the contents of the entire scroll.

A series of sharp cries rang out, following which 18 pillars of green light rose into the air.

An incredible turn of events unfolded!

The pillars of light receded after hurtling into the air, each of them transforming into a miniature mountain around 10 feet tall. All of them were of a beautiful shade of green and abundant with spiritual Qi. The sharp cries were coming from none other than those miniature mountains.

Han Li was quite startled by this development. The slightly lackadaisical expression on his face was replaced by a serious one as he immediately flipped his hands over.

A green wooden ruler and a miniature azure cauldron appeared over his palms.

He tossed the wooden ruler before him, upon which the projection of a lotus flower instantly appeared. The projection swelled drastically in size, transforming into a massive silver lotus that positioned itself in front of him. Meanwhile, the wooden ruler was slowly rotating at the center of the lotus flower, shimmering with dazzling green light.

Almost at the exact same moment, Han Li flicked a finger toward the azure cauldron, flinging the cauldron's lid off. A clear ringing sound erupted as a clump of thin azure threads shot forth from within.

Amid a vast expanse of shimmering azure light, the thin threads transformed into a massive net over 100 feet in size, descending from the sky to shield Han Li.

The Heavenvoid Cauldron itself had also expanded to several feet in size as it flew into the air overhead.

Han Li then made a hand seal and golden light flashed over his body. A shiny golden light barrier that clung tightly to his clothes was immediately materialized; this was none other than the Buddhist vajra barrier.

After setting up his most powerful three lines of defense, Han Li was feeling a lot more secure and assured.

Upon seeing this, Hu Qinglei said in a cold voice, "Seeing as you're prepared, I won't delay any longer, either."

Right as his voice trailed off, he let loose a low cry and made a hand seal. A pillar of black light was blasted out of his mouth before disappearing into the green mist.

He was furiously injecting his spiritual power into the scroll.

A dull rumbling sound rang out as the green mist surged and tumbled violently. Immediately thereafter, 18 pillars of black light shot straight up into the air, injecting themselves into the 18 miniature mountains up above.

All of those mountains instantly began radiating scintillating green light while expanding at an alarming rate. Within the span of just a few breaths, they had transformed into colossal objects around 500 to 600 feet tall, turning them into 18 true mountain peaks. The sharp cries they were emitting became even more pronounced as a series of apes appeared on the mountains, each of which was around a foot in size.

All of the cultivators down below were in awe of the scenes unfolding up above. Violet Spirit was also growing even more concerned.

"Go!"

Black Qi flashed over Hu Qinglei's face as he grabbed the air, sending a small mountain hurtling toward Han Li. After grabbing at the air several times in quick succession, seven or eight mountains had already lined up and were preparing to throw themselves at Han Li one after another.

A normal Nascent Soul cultivator definitely wouldn't be able to withstand an attack from even one of those mountains, let alone seven or eight.

There were still around 10 mountains left, yet Hu Qinglei merely exhaled and left them where they were. Perhaps it was because he was simply trying to teach Han Li, yet didn't want to actually endanger his life, or perhaps it was because activating all 18 mountains required excessive magic power expenditure; in any case, Hu Qinglei displayed no intention of attacking with the rest of his mountains.

Han Li was slightly dumbstruck.

He knew that Hu Qinglei would definitely make full use of this opportunity to unleash one of his most powerful attacks, but he didn't think he would hurl a few mountains directly at him!

Setting aside whether these mountains possessed any special abilities, just the sheer enormity of the impact they would create was unfathomable. Even with his spirit treasures protecting him, there was definitely no way that he would be able to withstand so many devastating strikes in succession. If it weren't for their prior agreement, he could easily unleash a movement technique to evade these mountains. However, he had no choice now but to stand still on the spot an act as Hu Qinglei's punching bag.

A wry smile appeared on Han Li's face, but a thought then suddenly occurred to him as he abruptly patted a spirit beast pouch hanging from his waist.

A burst of black light instantly shot forth from within, transforming into a small black monkey that was only several inches in size.

It was none other than the Weeping Soul Beast!

At the same time, he flapped his other sleeve through the air to summon a small black vial.

The vial tipped itself over and five humanoid skeletons emerged from within amid a burst of greyish-white energy. These were none other than the Unbroken Cinque Devils.

Han Li then quickly made a hand seal, and black light began to surge over the small monkey's body. The monkey expanded at a rapid rate, instantly transforming into a colossal ape over 300 feet tall. The massive ape pounded its chest with its mountainous fists as it let loose a long thunderous cry. It then harrumphed violently and a large swath of yellow light swept out of its nose, converging to form a massive yellow trident.

With its trident in hand, the ape was like a fiendcelestial that had just descended upon the human world.

Meanwhile, the five sets of humanoid skeletons were also converging, combining to form a massive bone-saber-wielding skeleton that was comparable in size to the giant ape.

The two colossal creatures stood side by side, one on Han Li's left, and the other on his right.

Almost at the exact same moment, the first mountain came crashing down with devastating might.

Before Han Li had even done anything, the skeleton and giant ape sprang into action at the same time.

The ape drew a sharp inhalation as it raised its trident into the air to try and parry the mountain, while the skeleton raised its two bone sabers at once before slashing them viciously toward the air overhead in a cross slash strike.

Two resounding booms erupted as all types of spiritual light intertwined and exploded. The giant ape and the skeleton were both forced downward, yet they managed to arrest their downward momentum after their weapons struck the mountain overhead, stopping it cold in its tracks.

However, Han Li had just pulled out his Triflame Fan, and there was no joy in his expression upon seeing this.

A few more thunderous booms erupted as a few more mountains descended, stacking on top of the first one.

As such, even the ridiculously powerful skeleton and Weeping Soul Beast were unable to withstand this overwhelming assault any longer. Following three rumbling booms, the massive ape's body shuddered as the huge yellow trident in its hands was shattered into countless pieces.

At the same time, the ape itself shrank drastically amid a ball of black light, reverting back to only around 10 feet tall.

Without the assistance of the massive ape, the skeleton was plunged into an even more dire situation. As the fourth mountain arrived, the twin bone sabers in the skeleton's hands were snapped in half, and four mountains came crashing down mercilessly in a doomsday-like sene.

Even the violent skeleton was struck by a sense of fear at the sight of this insurmountable attack.

Han Li's heart jolted as he raised his Triflame Fan, preparing to lash out with it.

However, right at this moment, a starting sequence of events unfolded.

Following a dull thump, the giant skeleton let loose an almighty roar of rage as they blasted out a torrent of five-colored flames, striking the base of the mountain on the bottom.

A vast expanse of five-colored light exploded, and the speed of the mountains' descent was dramatically slowed to less than a tenth of its original pace.

However, the mountains behind the one the bottom were unaffected by the five-colored flames, and they continued to pile on more pressure. An earthshattering boom erupted as the four mountains crashed into one another, resulting in an enormous explosion of green light that made it appear as if a green sun had risen into the air.

Beneath this immense expanse of green light, five-colored flames were surging relentlessly, as if they were supporting the green sun in the sky.

The combination of the two presented an extremely marvelous spectacle to behold.

Han Li was a little flabbergasted. He knew that the five glacial flames could be combined to conjure up some kind of strange ability, but he didn't know that it would be this astonishingly powerful.

In the distance, Hu Qinglei's expression darkened upon seeing this, and two more mountains plunged themselves into the green light at his behest.

On this occasion, an even more ferocious boom rang out. The spatial fluctuations nearby twisted and warped as the green sun came crashing down with renewed vigor.

In contrast, the five-colored flames shuddered violently before being forced to dissipate into specks of five-colored light.

However, Han Li had already prepared himself for this situation, and the massive skeleton immediately fled as five bursts of greyish-white Qi. The cry of a phoenix then rang out as a three-colored Fire Raven erupted from the Triflame Fan, crashing directly into the descending green sun.

A vast expanse of light exploded once again as the three-colored light slowed the green sun downward momentum this time. However, as the two bursts of light intertwined in the sky, it was quite clear that the three-colored flames were inferior in power, and were forced to descend along with the green sun.

Han Li's eyes flashed as he pointed toward the small azure cauldron overhead.

The green net of threads that was initially protecting transformed into an azure spirit cloud before rushing into the air above.

With the assistance of this azure cloud, the three-colored flames were finally able to keep the green sun at bay.

However, as two more mountains came crashing down into the green light one after another, the green sun was able to slowly re-initiate its descent.

Han Li took a deep breath as he swept his sleeve toward the silver lotus flower before him.

The massive lotus flower swayed before vanishing on the spot. However, in the next instant, seven-colored Buddhist light flashed as the silver lotus flower appeared once again.

Meanwhile, the small green ruler at the center of the lotus flower began to rotate as the lotus flower expanded drastically once again.

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Even after doing all that, Han Li displayed no intention of stopping. Instead, he rubbed his hands together before raising them high into the air.

Two explosive thunderclaps erupted as two arcs of light shot forth from within his sleeves, each of which was as thick as his arm.

The two arcs of lightning converged to form a massive golden python with a diameter comparable to that of a large bowl, flying directly up into the air at an alarming speed. At the same time, Han Li opened his mouth to expel a glittering and translucent bead, which instantly transformed into a purple wyrm over 100 feet long that also threw itself into the air above.

Meanwhile, the massive silver lotus was also slowly rising up to meet the green sun.

Spiritual light suddenly flashed in the air as the green sun overhead split up into eight jade peaks again. However, four of them were already damaged and incompletely, while the other four were in perfect condition. However, as green light began to surge along the surfaces of these mountains, an incredible transformation took place. The eight mountains converged and as opposed to simply stacking on top of one another, they truly combined to form a gargantuan mountain close to 10,000 feet tall, which came crashing down without any delay. At this moment, the purple wyrm, lightning python, and silver lotus flower had also risen up to meet this colossal mountain.

Spiritual light of all types of colors exploded as lightning, glacial Qi, silver light, and green light intertwined, and the colossal mountain really did pause in its tracks.

However, the sheer size of the mountain was simply too much to handle; regardless of whether it was struck by lightning or frozen by glacial Qi, the mountain seemed to simply be able to shrug off those afflictions as it slowly continued downward. Even the massive silver lotus was unable to arrest its momentum.

Down below, Han Li narrowed his eyes as blue light flashed through his pupils. He then let loose a low cry and threw up a mouthful of blood essence.

The blood essence immediately disappeared into the center of the silver lotus flower in the sky, where it was absorbed by the green ruler.

Han Li rapidly made a series of hand seals as he began to chant an unintelligible string of incantations.

Upon hearing Han Li's chanting, Xiang Zhili and Eccentric Wind both looked at one another with surprise etched on their faces.

Just as the colossal mountain overhead was about to crush the silver lotus flower, eight different types of sharp cries suddenly erupted from the green wooden ruler, following which eight projection emerged, each of which was around an inch in size.

At Han Li's behest, all of these projections expanded drastically, transforming into eight spirit beast projections over 100 feet in size in the blink of an eye. All of the projections were shimmering with green light, and they appeared to be substantial creatures rather than mere projected illusions. Furthermore, each and every one of those projections was identical to one of the legendary heavenly spirit beasts. All eight of those projections combined their powers to force the colossal mountain up above to a grinding halt, forcing it to only be able to rotate on the spot, but not allowing it to descend so much as a single inch further.

Hu Qinglei's expression finally darkened upon seeing this.

Even though he didn't intend to kill Han Li, he really did want to severely wound Han Li in order to teach him a lesson. If Han Li were able to withstand his attack with such ease, then he would be squandering this opportunity.

With that in mind, Hu Qinglei appeared to have done nothing, but all of the sharp cries being emitted by the jade peaks suddenly increased in volume at his behest. Countless grey figures shot forth from those mountains, transforming into powerful apes that were each around 10 feet in length.

These apes weren't actual demon beasts, but instead projections refined by this treasure through sacrificing demon souls. As such, they were virtually unkillable and as they threw themselves down from above, even if they were sliced into countless pieces, they could resurrect themselves almost immediately from the jade peaks. Even though none of them were very powerful individually, they were still very troublesome to deal with nonetheless. However, as soon as these ape projections appeared, the Weeping Soul Beast's eyes suddenly lit up. It let loose a long cry of its own as its body began to expand drastically once again amid a swath of black light.

However, on this occasion, it only swelled to just over 100 feet in size before letting loose a violent harrumph.

Bursts of yellow light swept forth from its nostrils, transforming into several hundred streaks of yellow light that shot forth into the air.

All of the apes summoned by the jade peaks possessed abundant demonic Qi, and almost all of them were at the fifth grade or above. In fact, there were even a few that appeared to be at the pinnacle of the seventh grade. However, as soon as the streaks of yellow light swept through them, they were all immediately felled like ants, having been reduced to wisps of green light before being swept away by the yellow light.

All of those wisps of green light were then swallowed into the Weeping Soul Beast's cavernous mouth.

Hundreds of ape projections were sucked into the Weeping Soul Beast's belly in an instant. However, after engulfing all of those ape projections, it shrank once again before disappearing into a spirit beast pouch hanging from Han Li's waist as a streak of black light.

Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this, but he was informed through his spiritual sense connection with the Weeping Soul Beast that it was going to evolve again, and that was naturally fantastic news to him.

However, not only were all of the spectating cultivators stunned by the sight of the Weeping Soul Beast devouring so many ape projections at once, even Hu Qinglei himself was rooted to the spot. Other people may have been unaware of just how powerful those ape projections were, but Hu Qinglei was the owner of the treasure that had summoned them, so he was naturally well aware of how troublesome they were. As such, he was much more astonished then everyone else was to witness this turn of events.

Meanwhile, the colossal mountain in the sky had finally been forced to a complete standstill by the combined powers of the eight spirit beast projections.

Han Li's eyes were slightly narrowed as he looked up at the mountain overhead, wondering if should use some other treasure to completely destroy this mountain.

All of a sudden, Xiang Zhili suddenly interjected, "Haha, Junior Martial Brother Han and Fellow Daoist Hu really are forces to be reckoned with. Let's end things here for now; if you two continue, I'm afraid that this will escalate into a full-blown battle."

His body swayed as he disappeared on the spot. In the next instant, he appeared between Han Li and Hu Qinglei, reaching out toward the massive green mountain with a single hand, seemingly in a casual and nonchalant gesture.

A loud boom erupted as a ghostly claw that was embroiled in black Qi abruptly appeared in the air. The ghostly claw obscured virtually the entire sky as it grabbed onto the massive mountain, lifting it over 100 feet as the claws tightened.

Han Li stirred upon seeing Xiang Zhili's ability while Hu Qinglei's expression darkened even further.

"Hmph, I didn't think that you'd already reached such a high level of proficiency in your Giant Spirit Claws, Fellow Daoist Xiang, but why are you displaying this ability now? Are you trying to exert dominance over me?" Hu Qinglei interrogated in a cold voice.

Xiang Zhili was completely unfazed by Hu Qinglei's menacing expression as he smiled nonchalantly. "My Giant Spirit Claws are merely an insignificant trick; I wouldn't dream of showing it off to you, Brother Hu. I was simply concerned that you'd get caught up into the heat of battle and forget your agreement with Junior Martial Brother Han. You said you were only going to unleash a single attack; I believe Junior Martial Brother Han has already withstood that attack, am I right?"

Hu Qinglei gritted his teeth before reluctantly replying, "Of course I wouldn't revoke my agreement with a Nascent Soul cultivator. Fellow Daoist Han has indeed satisfied my condition."He then raised a hand and waved it toward the colossal mountain.

A ringing sound immediately erupted from the mountain amid a flash of brilliant green light.

Xiang Zhili smiled and the massive claws clenched around the mountain immediately disappeared. The colossal mountain then shuddered before reverting back to eight separate mountains, each of which was around 1,000 feet tall. At the same time, the eight mountains shrank drastically before hovering over to the scroll. By then, they had already been reduced to several inches in size, and all of them disappeared into the artwork on the scroll.

The 10 remaining jade peaks hovering above Hu Qinglei's head underwent the same process, disappearing into the scroll one after another. The scroll then slowly rolled itself up again and as the green light faded, it transformed into a completley mundane-looking scroll once again.

Hu Qinglei reached out and the scroll disappeared into his sleeve as a ball of green light.

Hu Qinglei turned his gaze toward Han Li and Xiang Zhili, and a warm smile appeared on his face, as if nothing had ever happened. "Even though I've released Violet Spirit, I'll still be holding a ceremony for my other two concubines in three days. You'll be staying to attend the ceremony, won't you, Brother Xiang?"

Xiang Zhili was not surprised by this change of attitude at all, and a wide smile also appeared on his face as he replied, "Of course. I've already offered up a congratulatory present, so I definitely have to stay for a few more cups of wine."

There were countless thoughts racing through Han Li's mind, but his expression remained unchanged as replied, "Senior Martial Brother Xiang and Fellow Daoist Wind haven't left yet, so I'll naturally be staying to attend the ceremony as well."

"Haha, that's great! Let's go back to my palace and drink to our hearts' content, Fellow Daoists!" Hu Qinglei chortled heartily before flying directly toward his palace as a streak of black light.

All of the cultivators down below were still reminiscing the epic clash they had just witnessed, and they could only hurriedly follow Hu Qinglei back to the Devil Palace.

Eccentric Wind also set off to return to the palace, leaving only the stunned and elated Violet Spirit remaining behind on the ground down below.

"We should go as well, Junior Martial Brother Han. You can rest assured; Fellow Daoist Hu is a man of his word. You've satisfied his condition, so this chapter has been flipped over as far as he's concerned, and he won't look for another excuse to try and get back at you. You can stay with this girl at the Devil Palace for a few days and enjoy each other's company," Xiang Zhili chuckled before heading toward the palace himself.

A wry smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he shook his head as he slowly descended.

"Are you alright, Brother Han?" Violet Spirit immediately rushed over with concern, gratitude, and a myriad of other emotions etched on her face.

"I'm fine, just a little energy-depleted. Are you planning to leave now or after the ceremony?" Han Li asked.

"When are you planning on leaving? I'll just go with you, Brother Han," Violet Spirit replied without any hesitation.

"In that case, you'll have to stay here for a few more days; I won't be able to leave right away," Han Li sighed.

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Violet Spirit hesitated momentarily before nodding as she replied, "Indeed, it would be inappropriate to depart now, and you could irk the three Deity Transformation cultivators if you do that. However, it seems that they really are rather wary of you, so I'm sure we should be fine even if we stay here for a few more days.

After retaining her freedom, all of Violet Spirit's intelligence and resourcefulness suddenly returned to her, transforming her into the Fairy Violet Spirit of old who dared to explore the world on her own.

Han Li smiled at the sight of the spark that had returned to her eyes, and he traveled back toward the palace.

Violet Spirit looked on at Han Li's departing figure, and a thought seemed to have occurred to her as a faint blush appeared on her face. She bit down on her lower lip before also making her way toward the palace.

Three days, a ceremony was held in the Devil Palace as the other two beautiful female cultivators officially became concubines of Hu Qinglei.

Around 20 to 30 additional devilish cultivators and itinerant cultivators arrived for the ceremony, and the even weakest among them were at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, while a few more late-Nascent Soul cultivators arrived on the scene.

This was quite an eye-opener for Han Li as there was no way that such a formidable lineup could be assembled in the Heavenly South Region.

All of the newly-arrived cultivators were naturally stunned to see the three Deity Transformation cultivators treating Han Li as their equal. However, after hearing from the previous batch of cultivators who had arrived before them about Han Li's epic feats, all of them were even more astonished, and treated Han Li with just as much respect as they extended toward the Deity Transformation cultivators. After all, this was a man who had singlehandedly almost destroyed the Yin Sifting Sect, and also taken a concubine from Hu Qinglei before withstanding one of Hu Qinglei's most powerful attacks. This was clearly not someone they could afford to mess with.

During these past few days, Hu Qinglei's interactions with Han Li were quite normal, and he made no mention of the incident surrounding Violet Spirit.

Han Li was quite relieved that this was the case, but he had still been on high alert for the past three days. Violet Spirit didn't dare to stray far away from Han Li, either, and he certainly wasn't going to complain about having such an exquisite beauty by his side.

Following the conclusion of the ceremony, Han Li immediately bade farewell to Xiang Zhili and the others, departing from the Devil Palace and the Devil Cliff Mountain with Violet Spirit before both of them seemingly disappeared off the face of this world.

Three months later, on the summit of a nameless scenic mountain, an azure-robed young man was standing peacefully on a huge rock, casting his gaze out toward the distance.

This young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had departed from the Devil Cliff Mountain several months ago.

At this moment, his expression was quite calm, but there was a hint of internal turmoil in his eyes.

He suddenly raised his hands and silently stared at them for a while.

Just a day ago, his hands had been roaming over Violet Spirit's scorching porcelain-like skin, and just the memory of that wonderful experience was making his blood boil. However, Violet Spirit had since departed, leaving him alone on this mountain.

After Han Li and Violet Spirit had left the Heavenly Devil Sect, the two of them had settled on this mountain and began exchanging their respective experiences since they had last parted.

There had always been a hint of mutual attraction between the two, and after living together in an intimate manner for several months, they were finally unable to hold back their impulsive urges and lost themselves in each other's bodies.

However, after the event, Violet Spirit made her thoughts very clear to Han Li. He already had a Dao Companion, and she was unwilling to settle for becoming anyone's concubine, so their paths were destined to diverge. However, she would never love any man aside from Han Li, so she won't ever find a Dao Companion of her own. Instead, she was planning to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to cultivation as well as her pursuit of the Great Dao.

After expressing these intentions to Han Li, Violet Spirit left with a calm expression.

Han Li was naturally powerful enough to force her to stay, but he could see the determination in her heart, so he chose to let her leave.

Now, as he stood on the summit of this mountain, reminiscing about the past three months he had spent here with Violet Spirit, he was struck by a sense of dejection and a faint throbbing pain in his heart.

He knew that these were signs indicating instability in his state of mind, but he didn't rectify this right away, choosing to bask in this complex emotion instead.

After a long while, the sense of loss and conflict slowly disappeared from Han Li's eyes as his pupils regained their clarity.

"I guess it simply wasn't meant to be," Han Li murmured to himself.

He then transformed into a streak of azure light and rose into the air, disappearing into the distant sky in the blink of an eye.

The Fiery Hell was one of the seven restricted areas of the Great Jin located in the southeastern region of the Great Jin, and it had existed since ancient times.

This was a land of flames comparable in size to half of an entire state, and there were no other colors to be seen there other than black and red. There were also countless volcanos of differents sizes spread over this vast land that spanned innumerable kilometers.

Some of these volcanoes were over 100,000 feet tall, while others were only just over 1,000 feet tall, resembling small hills rather than the volcanoes that they were.

Some of these volcanos were very much active with scorching red lava bubbling within their craters, while some had gone completely dark and extinct. There were also some that were in the process of eruption, rumbling incessantly as scorching lava spewed into their air from their respective craters.

The air above this land was always obscured by a thick layer of blackish-red fiery clouds, and the ground around these volcanoes was completely black from the immeasurably deep layers of soot that had gathered over time. At low altitudes, the air was entirely filled with the acrid scent of sulfur, and the air temperature here was far more scorching than in the rest of the world.

However, many cultivators would often appear in this lethal land that was uninhabitable for mortals. Some of them occasionally descend from the sky and pick up some things from the ground, while others burrowed straight into the craters of certain volcanoes.

Those who dared to enter the volcanoes were naturally all powerful cultivators of a higher grade.

The Fiery Hell was undoubtedly a perilous place, but it was also a region that was abundant in all types of fire-attribute materials. The true restricted area wasn't actually the entire Fiery Hell. Instead, it was merely referring to a vast stretch of mountain ranges at the center of the Fiery Hell.

In that place, the entire region was enshrouded under a thick red mist that stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers. That vast expanse of red mist was the true restricted realm, and very few cultivators emerged alive after entering this restricted area.

As such, there usually weren't any cultivators that could be sighted around that area.

However, on this day, a streak of azure light could suddenly be seen hurtling toward a certain border of the fiery mist, reaching a distance of just over 1,000 feet away from the crimson mist in the blink of an eye.

The azure light receded, and a young male cultivator was revealed.

This man was none other than Han Li, who had rectified his state of mind and finally arrived here after several months of traveling.

As soon as he appeared, he scanned his gaze throughout his surroundings before turning his attention to the sea of fiery mist.

This vast expanse of red mist was quite different from the mist that Han Li had seen in the past. Not only was its enormity downright staggering, it was completely still without detectable swaying nor discernible noises coming from within.

Han Li clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the crimson mist for a while. All of a sudden, azure light flashed around his body again as he plunged headfirst into the sea of mist.

As soon as he entered the fiery mist, astonishing explosions began to erupt along the protective azure light around his body as it came into contact with the red mist.

Red and azure light intertwined with one another, and the explosions became more and more frequent and violently.

Han Li was slightly startled by this development and after flying for over 1,000 feet, his brows furrowed as he abruptly patted a storage pouch hanging from his waist.

Red light flashed and a dozen or so streaks of crimson light shot forth, transforming into a series of glittering and translucent round pillars.

Each of these pillars was around a foot in length and was shimmering with red light with life-like crimson wyrm carvings engraved onto their surfaces.

These were none other than the treasures that Han Li had refined from the fire dragon pillars he had sourced from the Kunwu Mountains.

Han Li began to chant something as he pointed a finger at those red pillars.

The pillars revolved in the air before hurtling forth, stopping around 10 feet away from Han Li.

Red light flashed and the crimson wyrms carved onto the surfaces of these pillars opened their mouths in unison, blasting out bursts of crimson light which combined to form a barrier around Han Li's body.

After coming into contact with this red barrier, the fiery mist around him immediately ceased their explosions, and Han Li was able to glide through it like a hot knife through butter.

A satisfied look appeared in Han Li's eyes upon seeing this, and he was immediately able to increase his speed by severalfold.

Here in this sea of fiery mist, one's spiritual sense was severely restricted, and even with Han Li's immensely powerful spiritual sense, he was only able to detect the situation within a small area around him.

If any other late-Nascent Soul cultivators were in his shoes, they wouldn't most likely be even more inept. As expected, it was a wise decision for him to come here only after reaching the late-Nascent Soul Stage.

Han Li was naturally here to source Puresun Flame Essence that he could use to refine the Returning Sun Water.

After using a soul search technique on Master Arctic Dragon's Nascent Soul in the North Night Palace, he had gleaned some information, telling him that a wisp of Puresun Flame Essence could be found in this Fiery Hell restricted area. However, the Puresun Flame Essence was hidden in an extremely perilous location, so Han Li wasn't in a hurry to search for it. Only after reaching the pinnacle of the late-Nascent Soul Stage was he confident enough to come searching for it.

After all, the Returning Sun Water was an extraordinary medicine that was of the utmost importance to him. He had given Hu Qinglei several drops of Glacial Quintessence in exchange for Violet Spirit's freedom, but he still had sufficient Glacial Quintessence to refine five or six portions of Returning Sun Water.

Of course, he would only be able to refine this medicine if he could find the Puresun Flame Essence, and that would surely be an extremely arduous task. Otherwise, Master Arctic Dragon was also a great cultivator himself, so he would've come here to secure the Puresun Flame Essence long ago.

Han Li already possessed the Greatyin True Flame, so it certainly wouldn't be impossible for him to obtain the Puresun Flame Essence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the risk to come to this place.

This vast expanse of fiery mist one of the seven restricted areas of Great Jin, so it was naturally an extremely perilous place. Furthermore, there were also many unimaginably powerful fire-attribute demon beasts inhabiting the mountains down below, among which there was apparently no lack of sixth and seventh grade demons beasts. Even the average Nascent Soul cultivator would very likely be killed if they were to be surrounded by a dozen or so of these beasts.

On top of that, the most dangerous things within this red sea of mist weren't even the demon beasts...

Just as these thoughts were running through Han Li's mind, he seemed to have suddenly sensed something, and a cold light flashed through his eyes as he flicked a finger to the side.

Golden light flashed as a burst of sword Qi disappeared into the red mist.

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A peculiar cry abruptly rang out. A dark shadow stumbled out of the mist, revealing itself to be a red demon beast several feet in length with a pair of blue eyes and a purple comb on its head. However, there was blood splattered all over one of its wings, and even more blood was gushing violently out of a fist-sized puncture wound.

However, this beast was extremely aggressive, and it threw itself at Han Li despite its injuries.

That didn't come as any surprise to Han Li. After all, fire-attribute demon beasts were commonly much more ferocious and violent than other demon beasts.

Han Li heaved a faint sight before casually flicking five of his fingers.

Five red threads short forth, puncturing several regions of the demon beast body before winding themselves around the bird and tightening violently.

Brilliant red light flashed as the demon beast was chopped into several sections.

Its body had been severed by none other than Han Li's Fire Spirit Threads! In the face of weaker opponents like this fiery bird, the might of the Fire Spirit Threads was very apparent.

Han Li waved a hand through the air and the red threads flew back toward him before disappearing into his palm.

As he continued deeper into the sea of mist, more and more demon beasts began to appear with increasing regularity. Before he knew it, he had slain more than 10 demon beasts.

On one occasion, he was attacked by five or six fire apes at once, each of which was around 10 feet tall. A normal early-Nascent Soul cultivator would've been in some trouble had they been faced with that situation, but Han Li was naturally able to handle the situation with aplomb.

He merely opened his mouth to blast forths swords that were several inches in length, and the fire apes were easily slain.

However, after forging ahead for a while longer, he finally encountered the first true stumbling block on his journey.

In the air several hundred feet away from him, there was a shimmering red ball of light around 10 feet in size that was constantly transforming. It took on the form of a tiger, then a wolf, transitioning between different demon beast forms as if it didn't have a set form of its own.

Han Li looked on with a cold expression before abruptly raising a hand, sending several streaks of golden sword Qi flying toward it.

Golden light flashed past, easily slicing this creature into several pieces, but the segmented red light merely converged once again to revert back to its original form with no issues whatsoever.

Han Li's brows furrowed as he made a hand seal. He then abruptly opened his mouth to eject a pilar of purple light, puncturing the ball of light in the blink of an eye to create a hole with a diameter comparable to that of a large bowl.

This was a new secret technique that Han Li had mastered after reaching the late-Nascent Soul Stage. It involved compressing the Purple Apex Flames that he had refined, then blasting it out of his mouth using his immense spiritual power.

As one could imagine, the resulting attack was very fearsome.

Even though the ball of light was still able to regenerate itself, it took a lot longer to do so than on the previous occasion.

"It's just as the rumors say; this Malicious Fire Spirit really is a little troublesome to deal with. Even my glacial flame, which is supposed to hold an attribute advantage over it, isn't very effective. No wonder Master Arctic Dragon's memories suggested that he was quite wary of this creature," Han Li murmured to himself.

Right at this moment, the red ball of light took on the form of a crimson devilish ghost and rushed toward Han Li with red flames erupting from its mouth.

Han Li adopted a serious expression as he waved a hand through the air. A massive azure hand immediately appeared above the devilish ghost's head, crashing down like lightning before grabbing the ghost firmly between its five fingers.

Red light flashed as the fingers of the azure hand tightened, crushing the entire body of the devilish ghost. However, the red light converged and regenerated itself again in the next instant.

A cold smile appeared on Han Li's face as he patted his storage pouch, seemingly preparing to summon some kind of treasure. However, right at this moment, a crisp cry suddenly rang out from within his body. Crimson light then flashed on his shoulder as a tiny little crimson bird that was only around several inches in size materialized out of thin air.

Han Li faltered slightly at the sight of this bird.

This bird was none other than the spirit beast manifested from the Greatyin True Flame.

A surprised look appeared on Han Li's face. Before he could ascertain why this Fire Raven had appeared of its own accord, the latter suddenly spread open its wings and hurtled directly toward the ball of red light.

Along the way, the Fire Raven swelled drastically in size, expanding to several feet in a few flashes as it opened its beak to peck the ball of light.

To Han L's surprise, the bird was able to peck a chunk out of the ball of light's insubstantial body.

Following just a few more pecks, a large hole had appeared in the ball of light, and it was no longer able to regenerate as it once could.

However, this Malicious Fire Spirit didn't appear to be very intelligent and nor did it seem to have any sense of pain. Instead of trying to flee the scene, it was merely transitioning into different forms over and over again in an attempt to better combat the Fire Raven.

The Fire Raven had the Malicious Fire Spirit's body grasped tightly between its talons, continuing to peck at it viciously regardless of what form it adopted. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the ball of light had almost been reduced to half of its original size.

Han Li chuckled upon seeing this.

Never did he think that the Greatyin Fire Raven would be the bane of the Malicious Fire Spirits here.

In that case, he would be spared of a lot of trouble.

Thus, Han Li looked on with a relaxed expression. It didn't take long for the Greatyin Fire Raven to completely devour the ball of light.

It then let loose a long cry before returning to its perch on Han Li's shoulder, where it began to organize its feathers, seemingly unwilling to return to Han Li's body right away.

There was no way that there was only one Malicious Fire Spirt in this sea of mist, so Han Li naturally wasn't going to force the bird back into his body. Thus, he continued onward in his journey.

The mountain ranges enshrouded under this sea of mist were truly massive beyond belief. Han Li's spiritual sense was restricted, so he didn't dare to fly too quickly, and it took him three full days before he finally arrived at his destination; a massive extinct volcano.

Along the way, he had slain at least 70 to 80 demon beasts of all stages, if not over 100. There were even some that had reached the pinnacle of the seventh grade and were only a step away from the eighth grade. Eighth grade metamorphosis stage demon beasts would go on to attain intelligence, so they would depart from the Fiery Hell to find a more suitable place to cultivate.

As for Malicious Fire Spirits, Han Li only encountered two in total on the way here. Both of them were devoured by the Greatyin Fire Raven, so they didn't cause him much trouble at all.

However, as they were passing through a fiery lake along the way, Han Li was forced to slow down significantly. The fiery lake was capable of blasting crimson pillars of fire into the air without any premonition, and those pillars of fire were quite powerful.

Han Li wasn't fearful of these flames, but he naturally didn't want to unnecessarily waste his magic power.

As such, he exercised a policy of caution and slowly flew over this area.

At this moment, Han Li was already standing on the rim of the extinct volcano, casting his gaze up ahead with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

He patted a storage pouch on his waist, and a thick stack of formation flags and formation plates immediately appeared in his hand. He tossed those formation tools behind him, and silver light flashed as another "Han Li" emerged. The second Han Li raised a hand to summon a swath of silver light, which allowed it to catch all of the formation tools that had been flung into the air.

This second Han Li was none other than the humanoid puppet, which was being controlled by Han Li's second Nascent Soul.

The puppet's body swayed, and it transformed into a silver streak of light, disappearing into the mist in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Han Li sat down to meditate with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

A short while later, the humanoid puppet arrived back by his side, completely empty-handed.

Han Li opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward the puppet before nodding his head.

The puppet swayed before vanishing once again.

Brilliant spiritual light erupted over Han Li's body as he hurtled through the air as a streak of azure light. Following a few flashes, he had arrived at the very center of the volcanic crater, upon which the azure light receded.

Han Li inspected his surroundings before raising his hand, tossing out a white object that he had prepared in advance.

The object revolved in the air before swelling drastically amid a ball of spiritual light, transforming into a massive object over 100 feet tall before crashing to the ground, causing the entire earth to tremor slightly.

It appeared to be an extremely heavy object.

As the white light faded, a small jade sacrificial pillar was revealed. However, there were runes carved over the surface of this altar, clearly indicating that it was already a treasure.

Han Li flipped his hand over again, and a small blue cauldron appeared over his palm.

He then began to chant something as he cast several incantation seals onto the cauldron.

The cauldron revolved and began to radiate scintillating spiritual light. At the same, it swelled dramatically to around 10 feet in size.

Han Li gently flicked a finger toward the cauldron, and its lid was immediately flung off. A buzzing sound rang out from within the cauldron, following which a burst of blue light emerged before quickly proliferating through the air.

As the blue light flashed over the surrounding landscape, a layer of shimmering blue ice appeared over the ground.

Han Li had unleashed his Celestial Blue Flames, and that small blue cauldron was naturally the spirit treasure replica he had obtained from Master Arctic Dragon, the Celestial Blue Cauldron.

There were only two of these cauldrons in existence, and both of them were in Han Li's possession. As the blue light flashed through the air, the red mist nearby receded, and the volcanic crater suddenly became a lot clearer.

A slight smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this. He pointed a finger toward the massive cauldron, and it immediately landed right the very center of the sacrificial altar before him.

Meanwhile, Han Li had also brought out a palm-sized blue formation plate before rapidly casting a few incantation seals onto it. All of a sudden, a loud thunderclap erupted from the ground near the sacrificial altar, and a massive formation that was shimmering with different colors of spiritual lights suddenly appeared, with the altar situated at the very center of the formation. At this moment, it appeared as if the formation around the sacrificial altar had always been one with the giant cauldron, and there seemed to be no end to the Celestial Blue Flames flowing out from the cauldron.

Blue ice soon spread over the entire volcanic crater.

Han Li wore a serious expression as he pointed several times toward the formation plate in his hand. All of a sudden, an almighty boom erupted from the entire formation as several tens of pillars of blue light shot into the sky around the crater, creating a gargantuan cage of light that completely sealed off the space nearby as well. Each and every pillar was shimmering with green light and reached several hundred feet into the air, creating a formidable sight to behold.

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Han Li rustled a sleeve and the other small blue cauldron also shot forth before expanding drastically as it flew through the air. The coffin then hovered toward the air above the massive formation at Han Li's behest, only stopping after reaching an altitude of over 200 feet.

Silver light flashed and the humanoid puppet appeared, standing on one corner of the cauldron in a completely stationary manner.

Han Li nodded upon seeing this before abruptly patting one of the spirit beast pouches hanging from his waist. A gust of glacial wind was immediately swept up, following which 12 four-winged centipedes emerged from within the pouch, each of which was several feet in length.

These were none other than his 12 Six-Winged Frost Centipedes.

As soon as these centipedes appeared, they immediately began to blast glacial winds out of their mouths, sending swaths of white mist rising high into the air. The centipedes then obscured themselves within this white mist before splitting up and flying to all corners of the cage of light.

After setting up all of these measures, Han Li was feeling a lot more assured.

However, he still didn't dare to grow complacent as he carefully examined the surrounding formation again. After verifying that there were no issues, he stood at a certain point within the formation and made a hand seal, upon which a layer of purple flames abruptly appeared over his body. He then slowly sank into the ground as if he were nothing more than an illusionary mirage, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.

As such, the only things left within the massive cage of light were the two cauldrons, the completely stationary humanoid puppet, and the 12 clouds of fluttering white mist.

Meanwhile, Han Li had already reached several hundred feet deep into the ground, and was currently situated within a vast expanse of scorching crimson lava.

The temperatures here could melt a human away into nothingness in a matter of seconds, yet Han Li remained completely unaffected in his cocoon of Purple Apex Flames. However, as the glacial powers of his flames intertwined with the scorching lava, an incessant burst of rumbling akin to that of relentless thunderclaps erupted nearby, and that was rather annoying to listen to.

It wasn't that Han Li didn't want to switch over to the barrier manifested by his fire dragon pillars; a fire-attribute barrier would naturally be able to fuse as one with the surrounding lava quite easily. However, having to control the temperatures within the barrier under such intense heat would result in excessive magic power expenditure, so it was much more efficient to use his glacial flames instead. As such, Han Li wasn't going to summon that barrier prior to encountering the Puresun Flame Essence.

Even though he had unleashed his spiritual sense to its very maximal extent, the fact that he was submerged in lava greatly inhibited his detection radius, making it impossible for him to sense anything beyond a radius of around 1,000 feet.

Han Li couldn't help but heave a faint sight upon making this observation.

It was no wonder that Master Arctic Dragon had failed on so many occasions to obtain the Puresun Flame Essence, even though he knew that it was right in this volcano, to the extent that he had completely given up on trying to procure the flame essence altogether.

Under such an environment, it was quite a stretch to ask even a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator to capture a wisp of Puresun Flame Essence, which already possessed a certain degree of spiritual nature. Only a Deity Transformation cultivator would have a chance of accomplishing this feat.

Even though he had already made extensive preparations in advance, he was still quite unsure whether he would actually secure the flame essence.

All of a sudden, Han Li patted the Greatyin Fire Raven, which was still perched on his shoulder. The Fire Raven spread its wings and flew out of the purple flame barrier, instantly disappearing into the lava up ahead.

The entire process was completely soundless, and the Fire Raven glided through the lava without any impediment, nor did it seem to be affected by the scorching temperatures of the lava at all.

Han Li was initially a little speechless upon seeing this, following which a sense of ecstasy welled up in his heart.

The Greatyin True Flame was one of the most powerful Yin-attribute existences in the human world, and it seemed to be able to thrive even in lava. As one of the three true spirit flames, it appeared that there had to be some secrets hidden within the Greatyin True Flame waiting to be uncovered. If he had the opportunity to do so in the future, he would really have to conduct some thorough research into these flames. The Greatyin True Flame was born in extreme glacial conditions, while the Puresun Flame Essence was born in extreme heat. Yin and Yang attracted one another like opposite magnetic pols, so if the Puresun Flame Essence was nearby, then it would be forcibly drawn to Han Li by his Greatyin Fire Raven.

With that in mind, Han Li followed along behind the Fire Raven from a long distance away, roaming throughout the lava with this volcanic crater as the center where he commenced his search.

Several days passed by, and Han Li had almost searched the entirety of this area, which spanned a radius of over 5,000 kilometers. In particular, he made sure to conduct thorough searches in the locations where Master Arctic Dragon had once made sightings of the Puresun Flame Essence, but much to his dismay, his search remained completely fruitless.

As such, Han Li was forced to expand the scope of his search, but the Puresun Flame Essence continued to elude him, as if it didn't even exist here.

A month later, Han Li was searching through a location tens of thousands of kilometers away from the volcanic crater. His face remained completely expressionless, but he was truly starting to become rather impatient.

He was traversing through scorching lava day after day, seeing only vast expanses of crimson everywhere he looked. Furthermore, he had to constantly unleash his spiritual sense to its maximal extent during this process, expending a vast amount of magic power. Anyone would find this to be unbearable if they were in Han Li's shoes.

Just as Han Li was contemplating whether it was time to return to the surface in order to replenish his spiritual power again, his expression suddenly changed and a hint of surprise and elation appeared in his eyes.

He immediately patted a storage pouch hanging from his waist, and the small black vial containing the Unbroken Cinque Devils was immediately summoned. The vial tipped itself over in the lava before releasing the five devils.

The five devils were clearly rather uncomfortable in the lava, but the greyish-white devilish Qi swirling around their bodies was able to keep the scorching temperatures at bay.

Han Li began to chant something, and the five devils transformed into ghostly heads, disappearing into the lava in different directions.

Han Li then rustled his sleeve again to release his fire dragon pillars, and the crimson light barrier appeared around him. At the same time, his body swayed before becoming blurry and indistinct, completely camouflaging himself in the surrounding lava in the end.

As such, the entire place had fallen completely silent aside from the occasional sound of flowing lava.

Around 10 minutes later, a streak of crimson light flashed and the Greatyin Fire Raven emerged from the lava before diving headfirst into the lava on another side.

Almost at the exact same moment, the lava nearby began to surge and tumble violently, and its temperature spiked drastically by more than twofold. At the same time, silver light flashed, and something sped past in hot pursuit behind the Greatyin Fire Raven.

As the silver light disappeared, the surrounding lava settled back into its original state, but the scorching temperatures refused to let up. Right at this moment, red light flashed and Han Li emerged nearby in his crimson light barrier. He wore an elated look on his face as he gave chase in the direction that the silver light had sped away toward.

As such, the three pursued one another in direct succession, covering a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers within a few hours, taking them close to the volcanic crater, where the formation had been set up earlier.

However, trouble suddenly struck at this point.

The Greatyin Fire Raven's speed and dexterity remained completely unaffected by the lava around it, but it was clearly slightly slower than the ball of silver light pursuing it. After such an extensive chase, the silver light finally caught up to it when they were still close to 10 kilometers away from the volcanic crater.

The silver light abruptly pounced onto the Greatyin Fire Raven, and the crimson and silver lights intertwined with one another. Meanwhile, Han Li was too scared to approach ball of silver light in fear that he would startle it away, but through his spiritual sense connection with the Greatyin Fire Raven, he was finally able to catch a clear glimpse of this ball of silver light.

It turned out that this was a miniature pegasus only around a few inches in size. Its entire body was a pristine white color, yet its wings were of a shimmering silver hue.

As soon as the pegasus caught up to the Greatyin Fire Raven, it immediately summoned countless silver flame flowers on the surface of its wings. The pegasus that was rushing toward the Greatyin Fire Raven was naturally none other than the true spirit flame manifested by the Puresun Flame Essence.

When the Greatyin Fire Raven had first been born, it had been extremely feeble, which was why Han Li was able to easily subdue and capture it. However, after devouring an immeasurable amount of Myriad Year Glacial Qi in the Profound Jade Cave of the North Night Palace, it had become a lot more powerful.

As such, it's power was actually quite comparable to the Puresun Flame Essence.

However, the miniature white pegasus was able to borrow on the boundless power of the lava around it, thereby giving it a distinct advantage. In contrast, the Greatyin Fire Raven had to expend a portion of its spiritual power to ward off the scorching temperatures of the lava, thereby placing it at a further disadvantage. As such, it was forced firmly onto the back foot after just a few exchanges.

Han Li's brows furrowed upon making this observation through his spiritual sense connection.

However, neither he nor the five devils could assist the Greatyin Fire Raven now as that would only startle the Puresun Flame Essence. From Master Arctic Dragon's memories, he had gleaned that the Puresun Flame Essence was an extremely cautious existence, and it would run away at the first sign of any potential danger. Furthermore, its flame movement techniques were extremely profound, allowing it to traverse through the lava in a virtually undetectable manner. As such, if it were allowed to get away, then there was no chance for Han Li to chase it down again.

If the Puresun Flame Essence were to be startled once, Han Li wasn't sure if using the Greatyin Fire Raven as bait would work a second time.

As such, even though the Fire Raven was clearly struggling in its battle, he didn't dare to intervene, yet his mind was racing for a potential course of action that he could take.

All of a sudden, an idea occurred to him. He immediately made a hand seal before opening his mouth to expel a white bead. It was none other than that Snow Crystal Pearl that the Purple Apex Flames had been nurturing.

Han Li cast a few incantation seals onto the pearl, following which it shot forth as a streak of white light.

The Snow Crystal Pearl reached the battlefield between the pegasus and the Greatyin Fire Raven in the blink of an eye.

The pearl then descended toward the two combatants.

The pegasus was immediately startled by its approach, and it flapped his little wings, abruptly vanishing amid a ball of silver flames. In the next instant, it appeared over 200 feet away, staring at the pearl with bewilderment in its eyes.

However, the Greatyin Fire Raven had no intention of evading the pearl. Instead, it took this opportunity to pounce on the pearl before swallowing it, upon which brilliant crimson light erupted from its body.

After doing that, the Fire Raven immediately continued to flee into the distance without any hesitation.

The pegasus faltered slightly upon seeing this. It carefully examined its surroundings and after determining that there was nothing for it to fear, it finally spread its wings and gave chase once again.

However, with the assistance of the power of the Purple Apex Flames stored within that Snow Crystal Pearl, the Greatyin Fire Raven was flying far more quickly than it was previously capable of, and the pegasus was unable to chase it down for the time being.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them had reached the massive volcanic crater, following which the Greatyin Fire Raven immediately shot upward toward the surface.

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The pegasus had been chasing the Fire Raven for so long, so it was naturally unwilling to give up. As such, it hurriedly spread its wings and also flew upward toward the surface.

Both of them were fire spirits, so they were naturally unobstructed by the thick layers of earth that stood in their way.

Moments later, the two fire spirits emerged from the ground one after another, appearing right within the massive cage of light.

As soon as the Puresun Flame Essence appeared, it sensed that something was amiss. However, it was already too late. The humanoid puppet was already prepared in advance, and it abruptly stomped down onto the Celestial Blue Cauldron beneath its feet. A burst of blue flames immediately shot forth from within, transforming into a blue glacial wyrm in the blink of an eye.

The Greatyin Fire Raven also launched a counterattack, turning around before opening its beak to expel the Snow Crystal Pearl.

At the same time, the entire formation was activated by the humanoid puppet.

The Puresun Flame Essence immediately attempted to flee back into the lava upon seeing this. The volcanic crater where it and the Greatyin Fire Raven was the only area that had been left intentionally free of blue ice. However, as the formation was activated, blue ice was also beginning to seal up that crater.

However, the rate at which the ice as spreading over the crater was far inferior to the speed of the Puresun Flame Essence's retreat.

Just as the miniature pegasus was about to disappear into the ground, a horrified look suddenly appeared in its eyes, and it abruptly spread its wings, vanishing before appearing again over 200 feet away.

Almost at the exact same moment, five pillars of light of different colors shot forth into the air from the ground below.

Five bursts of greyish-white devilish Qi then emerged, transforming into five ghostly heads, each of which was around a foot in size. They were none other than the Unbroken Cinque Devils!

Han Li was also slowly rising up from the ground.

At this point, the entire crater had been covered in a thick layer of blue ice due to the effect of the formation.

Han Li stood upon the blue ice and raised his head with a serious look on his face.

The glacial wyrm manifested from Celestial Blue Flames, the Greatyin Fire Raven, and the five ghostly heads were all converging toward the pegasus.

However, just as Master Arctic Dragon's memories had revealed, the Puresun Flame Essence was extremely nimble and agile, flashing through the air as a completely untraceable streak of silver light.

The Greatyin Fire Raven was the only one that could match its speed, while the five devils and the glacial wyrm were clearly unable to keep up.

However, on this occasion, the pegasus was the one being debilitated by the glacial Qi emanating from the cage of Celestial Blue Flames, and with the enhancement of Han Li's Snow Crystal Pearl, the Greatyin Fire Raven was now slightly faster than the Puresun Flame Essence.

If it weren't for the fact that the pegasus' movement techniques were truly extremely agile and unpredictable, it would've been captured by the Fire Raven long ago.

Even so, the pegasus was still struck on several occasions in a short period of time by the crimson light being blasted out of the Fire Raven's mouth, thereby inflicting a few minor injuries upon it. However, the pegasus would rather allow itself to be struck by attacks rather than retaliate, as doing so would force it to slow down, thereby giving the five devils and the glacial wyrm a chance to chase it down.

Han Li stood down below with his hands clasped behind his back, seeming content just to spectate. Meanwhile, the humanoid puppet was maintaining the function of the formation while expressionlessly manipulating the glacial wyrm.

All of a sudden, the pegasus identified an opportunity and came hurtling down toward the ground after allowing itself to be struck by another one of the Greatyin Fire Raven's attacks. It reached the ground down below in a flash without any premonition, then attempted to unleash a movement technique to flee the scene.

However, the pegasus' body faltered as soon as it came into contact with the blue ice down below.

During this split second of delay, a streak of crimson light and a burst of blue glacial mist suddenly hurtled toward it. At the same time, a strange unsettling cry rang out.

A flash of horror appeared in the pegasus' eyes, but it was clearly too late to evade. However, it managed to react extremely quickly, flapping its wings desperately to create a series of silver flowers. These flowers instantly enshrouded its entire body, and it appeared that it was planning to take these attacks head-on.

Two muffled thumps rang out, and the crimson light and blue glacial mist struck the silver flowers in quick succession.

Much to Han Li's surprise, the pegasus borrowed the power from the impact of the attacks, flying rapidly through the air to appear over 100 feet away in the blink of an eye. It stumbled slightly to arrest its momentum before escaping toward another direction in the cage as a streak of silver light.

Even though the pegasus was still traveling extremely quickly, Han Li was able to identify using his Brightsight Spirit Eyes that it was clearly missing a chunk of one of its wings, and a section of one of its legs also appeared to be have been dismembered.

A smile appeared on Han Li's face and he finally sprang into action.

Azure and white light flashed behind him, upon which a pair of wings appeared on his back. He gently flapped those wings and a light breeze was swept up, following which he completely vanished.

The Greatyin Fire Raven was also throwing itself at the Puresun Flame Essence again.

However, the pegasus had already opened up some distance between them by borrowing the momentum of the attacks from earlier, and it unleashed its maximal speed as it reached the border of the cage after a few successive flashes of silver light.

A pillar of blue light stood in its way, so the pegasus decided to fly around it.

However, the humanoid puppet up above immediately made a hand seal upon seeing this, and brilliant light erupted from all of the pillars as strands of light shot forth, creating a dense net the cut off the pegasus' route of escape.

The pegasus was startled by this development, but it was too late to turn back. As such, it blasted several tens of silver flowers toward the net while continuing to fly full speed ahead.

It was planning to puncture the net through brute force.

However, what the pegasus had failed to notice was that two clouds of white mist had already appeared above its head. The white mist suddenly surged as two gusts of white glacial winds swept forth. Immediately thereafter, two snowy white centipedes shot forth like lightning.

These were none other than two of the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes Han Li had set up in advance.

As such, the pegasus could only evade the two gusts of glacial winds and fly toward another direction. At this moment, the Fire Raven, five devils, and glacial wyrm converged toward it once again.

However, as soon as the pegasus had changed directions, black light suddenly appeared before its eyes, and a glittering and translucent black blade instantly flashed through its body.

An expression of shock and horror appeared in its eyes as its body was sliced cleanly in half.

The two halves of its body reverted back to their silver flame from before instantly merging back together to form a miniature pegasus again.

However, its body was quite blurry and insubstantial, clearly indicating that it was unable to immediately take on its original form again.

It was quite apparent that the surprise attack from the Devil Essence Dagger had proven to be very effective. Right at this moment, a dull thunderclap suddenly rang out overhead. An azure arc of lightning flashed, following which Han Li abruptly appeared and immediately flicked his 10 fingers in quick succession.

10 fiery threads hurtled through the air, puncturing the pegasus' body in a flash.

At the same time, Han Li began to chant something, and the fiery threads instantly bound the pegasus tightly.

It was completely powerless to resist against Han Li's surprise attacks.

Han Li was naturally ecstatic upon seeing this.

He flipped his hand over to summon a stack of restriction talismans that he had prepared well in advance, and a dozen or so streaks of light of different colors flew toward the Puresun Flame Essence as he flung the talismans through the air.

If these restriction talismans could plaster themselves to the pegasus' body, it would definitely be unable to escape, despite the fact that it possessed the body of a fire spirit.

However, a surprising turn of events unfolded!

The tightly-bound pegasus suddenly let loose a desperate neigh as brilliant silver light erupted all over its body. The fiery threads detached themselves from its body, flashing toward the oncoming restriction talismans instead.

Loud explosions erupted as all of the talismans were reduced to dust, while the fiery threads continued to hurtle toward Han Li.

Even the perpetually calm and collected Han Li was quite startled by this development. However, he immediately decided on a course of action, raising an arm before waving his hand toward the fiery threads.

The threads immediately stiffened before disappearing into his hand in a slightly reluctant manner.

Meanwhile, the pegasus was taking advantage of the situation to try and escape again.

Han Li's expression darkened as he harrumphed coldly.

Upon hearing his harrumph, the pegasus suddenly shuddered as its body plummeted involuntarily toward the ground.

Han Li had unleashed his Spirit Stun Thorn secret technique!

Han Li flapped his wings and abruptly vanished, appearing directly below the falling pegasus in the next instant. On this occasion, he merely made a grabbing motion toward the pegasus rather than rely on any treasures. A large hand constructed from purple flames appeared out of thin air, forcibly locking the miniature pegasus in a tight grasp.

Brilliant purple glacial light erupted as a massive block of purple ice sealed the fire spirit's body within.

At this moment, the Greatyin Fire Raven and the glacial wyrm also finally arrived. Both of them plunged into the purple ice without any hesitation, quickly fusing as one with the block of ice amid flashes of spiritual light.

Almost at the exact same moment, the pegasus within the block of ice seemed to have recovered from the effect of the Spirit Stun Thorn, and silver flames immediately erupted violently all over its body as it attempted to escape.

However, with the infusion of the Greatyin True Flame into the block of ice, there was no way that it would be able to escape in a short period of time. The blue glacial wyrm and the Greatyin Fire Raven were like fish in water as they surrounded the pegasus, blasting out gusts of glacial Qi from their mouths to forcibly repress its silver flames.

The five devils also arrived at this moment.

Each of them blasted a type of glacial flame out of their mouths, which then converged to form a five-colored glacial flame that hurtled toward the miniature pegasus. Upon coming into contact with this five-colored glacial flame, the miniature pegasus immediately became extremely slow and sluggish. On the contrary, the glacial wyrm and Greatyin Fire Raven were seemingly completely unaffected even though the five-colored glacial flames had also washed over them. Instead, the glacial Qi billowing out of their mouths had become even more powerful.

The Puresun Flame Essence was unable to withstand such a ferocious assault, and it gradually began to slow down even further as its aura became more and more feeble.

Han Li immediately swept his sleeve through the air upon seeing this, summoning a dozen or so talismans. These talismans immediately punctured the block of ice before plastering themselves to the pegasus' body.

The fire spirit finally relinquished its resistance with a look of despair on its face. The silver light emanating from its body dimmed, and it was unable to maintain its pegasus form any longer as it reverted back to a ball of shimmering silver flames.

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The talismans stuck to the pegasus seized the moment, fusing together into layers of rainbow light that imprisoned the silver flames.

Under Han Li's command, the Greatyin Fire Raven floating within the purple ice turned into a ball of scarlet flame, enveloping the Puresun Flame Essence.

Then with his hands in an incantation gesture, he struck the purple ice with several spell seals.

Light flashed as they passed into it, and the huge glacier glistened as it suddenly shrank.

In the blink of an eye, it turned into a fist-sized ball.

Han Li waved his hand, summoning it into his grasp and examining it with interest.

At that moment, Han Li heard a child's sigh at his ear, followed by words containing a hint of envy, "I didn't expect you to be lucky enough to truly acquire Greatsun Essence Fire. If you are able to fuse it with Greatyin True Flame, you will gain far more than what you imagined. I fear there are many Immortal spirit flames in the spirit realm that don't exceed it.

"Immortal spirit flames?" Han Li's expression stirred but he didn't continue pursuing the topic. Rather, he clasped his hands, resulting in a roll of thunder.

Thin arcs of golden lightning shot out and tightly coiled around the ice until it was fastened and secure.

In the blink of an eye, all trace of the purple ice was replaced with golden lightning.

He shook his sleeve and summoned a small azure cauldron, spinning in front of him before arriving in front of him.

It was the Heavenvoid Cauldron!

He flicked his finger on the cauldron, sounding a clear front from it. The cauldron lid shot up in the air, and a mass of azure threads streaked out from it, coiling around the ball of golden lightning and dragging it inside.

Then with the use of his artifact imprint technique, he sealed the cauldron.

At that moment, he let out a long sigh but a trace of excitement appeared in his eyes.

Having acquired this flame, he'll be able to refine the Returning Sun Water. If he could truly extend his lifespan by several hundred years, he should be able to cultivate the Divine Essensefuse Light, even if it were more difficult than he imagined.

Having thought that, Han Li withdrew his puppet and the five devils, then moving on to tear down the large-scale spell formation he placed down. It was only after eliminating all traces of his presence did he leave.

With that done, he completed all his objectives in the Great Jin and set off on his journey back to the Heavenly South seemingly without any hesitation.

After he returned, he would first refine the Returning Sun Water, relieving any worries about his lifespan or Nangong Wan's. Following that, he would a spatial pocket out of Devilfall Valley's spatial tear. And lastly, he would use the Ghost Sifting Banner's soul producing ability to refine the spatial treasure, the Crimson Soul Flag.

Using this flag, he would absorb the Essensefuse Mountain and bring it back to him to the Heavenly South where he would hide in his spatial pocket, cultivating the Divine Essencefused Light to completion, then tackling the barrier to Deity Transformation stage.

In order for this to succeed, he would use the peak grade wood-attributed spirit stone he had been saving from the last time he attempted to use the five glacial flames to break through a bottleneck.

Not to mention that the Devil Essence Pill that Xiang Zhili mentioned when he rescued Violet Spirit from Devil Cliff Mountain. Before he departed, he used the Myriad Year Profound Jade to trade from three of the Devil Essence Pills from the old devil, increasing his chances of Deity Transformation just slightly.

However, just the thought of the price for these three pills caused Han Li to feel a pang of sorrow.

He didn't know how that old devil knew so much about the movements of the North Night Palace's Myriad Year Profound Jade, but he was greedy enough to take half of it in one swoop. It was unknown if the Devil Essence Pills made for a fair trade, or if he was using it as a pretext for robbery.

In any case, no matter how rare the Myriad Year Profound Jade may be, Han Li viewed the aid of the Devil Essence Pills to be far more important. Any greater chance of Deity Transformation, no matter how small, is something he couldn't easily relinquish.

Even under the circumstances with Xiang Zhili, he could only pinch his nose and accept the trade.

When he recalled the smug face on the old devil's face after the trade, he felt somewhat gloomy. But soon, he tossed the matter to the back of his mind and began to contemplate his future plans.

Several days later, he arrived at the end of the red mist, disappearing from the edge of the fire prison.

Not long after, a few in the Great Jin who discovered the power of Han Li's existence also noticed his sudden disappearance.

This caused quite a few attentive individuals to become restless. It was only after Han Li's departure from the Great Jin was confirmed that they all happened to sigh with relief.

Although Han Li's name didn't resound in the cultivation world of the Great Jin, there were several fantastical rumors that were related to him and he was mentioned in the higher echelon of a few great sects.

There was a cultivator who wasn't of Deity Transformation stage but was able to befriend Deity Transformation cultivators on equal footing and even able to easily kill late-Nascent Soul cultivators of the same grade. He also had no fear of his essence eroding from the worldly Qi of Heaven and Earth.

This caused many eccentrics to hold him in fear.

Now that they knew Han Li had no intention of founding a sect in the Great Jin, they sighed with relief and didn't keep him in mind.

Since the day Han Li disappeared, time slowly passed by. It was as if forty years passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, the cultivation world of the Great Jin was exceedingly peaceful. Although there were events that burst forth on occasion, there was nothing world shaking. But at that same time, overjoyed laughter bellowed in a cave residence a myriad of kilometers away in the Heavenly South.

"All my hard work has finally paid off. I've finally refined the fire. With this, I can create the Returning Sun Water."

Eventually, the laughter in the cave died down until there was only silence.

Then a month later, the silhouette slipped out from the mountain cave and tore through the sky in an azure streak.

Three months later, a young man appeared inside Devilfall Valley, quietly making his way to the valley depths before disappearing once more.

More months passed, and a small mountain inside the valley suddenly emitted an endless dark ghostly Qi.

It was a mist as pitch-black as ink and thoroughly enveloped fifty kilometers around it. Yin winds swept through the fog, carrying countless ghostly wails. If anybody walked through it, they would believe they were in the underworld.

This extraordinary event continued for half a year before the Yin Qi gradually dissipated.

A month later, the young man strangely appeared from Devilfall Valley and left as quietly as he appeared.

Because his movement and concealment techniques were superb, none had detected any trace of him.

Of course, this person was Han Li, who recently finished refining the Crimson Soul Flag and the spatial pocket.

Several decades before, when he returned to the Drifting Cloud Sect from the Great Jin, he spent a great deal of effort before eventually refining the Returning Sun Water and taking it himself. And a few months later, he refined several more bottles.

Because Nangong Wan was still in seclusion, he delivered one of the bottles to her cave residence with a flying sword. Then he set off to Devilfall Valley to refine the Crimson Soul Flag.

With tensome Ghost Sifting Flags' abundant souls and the guidance of the Soaring Sky Beast, he was able to smoothly refine it despite the time it took.

The remnant of the Black Wind Banner had finally turned into the Crimson Soul Flag.

As of present, Han Li had returned to the sect and began to comprehend the first two layers of the Divine Essencefused Light. After all, even with the Crimson Soul Flag in hand, he needed to be able to command the Essencefused Mountain if he wanted it to enter the flag.

Before he entered seclusion, he suddenly thought of something and hesitated before bringing a bottle of the Returning Sun Water to the medicinal garden. Afterwards, he immediately returned to seclusion.

The human-like puppet was placed inside the cave residence responsible for using the small mysterious bottle to nurture spirit insects and a few medicines.

Ten years later, Han Li eventually woke from meditation with a trace of perplexion on his face.

"As expected, the Divine Essencefused Light is incredibly difficult to cultivate. It seems without the aid of the Essencefused Mountain, cultivating the divine light is impossible. Now that I've finished cultivating the first layer, it seems I'll have to go to the Star Palace and retrieve it."

A child's image appeared suddenly in front of Han Li and said, "If I were you, I'd first prepare a pure metal-attributed demon core to fully complete five elemental spirit roots. Although this is the first I've heard of this method, This technique simultaneously contains the power of all five elements. Without the corresponding spirit roots, it would put a vast strain on your body.

"I know, you already mentioned it. However, metal-attributed demon beasts are incredibly rare, and I will require the core from a beast that has metamorphosed. It won't be easy to find." Han Li sighed and he flipped his hand to produce a beautiful, glistening rainbow light in his hand.

The child rolled his eyes and said, "Didn't you already meet that metal-attributed flood dragon king in the Scattered Star Seas? That was a genuine grade ten demon beast. Its demon core should suffice."

Han Li frowned and slowly said, "Of course, but the demon beast lives in the outer seas. It won't be easy to reach. I should first prepare several metal-type magic tools before I consider it. I recall you saying that I can use magic tools to replace spirit roots as well."

The boy shook his head, "Admittedly, it is true you can use tools instead of demon cores to replace spirit roots, However, it will be far slower to refine and there is a certain level of risk."

"With the Returning Sun Water, a bit of time doesn't matter to me. Let's continue talking about this after I arrive at the Scattered Star Seas." Han Li nodded and stood up, stretching his limbs before walking out of the secluded room.

In a flash of silver light, another "Han Li" appeared in front of him.

Han Li didn't take it to mind and mentally exchanged a bit of information with the second Nascent Soul in his puppet. In a sudden change of expression, his face changed and he cried out, "What! The Profound Goddess' Palm has revived!?"

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When Han Li acquired this information from his puppet, his mind underwent a massive shock.

Before he secluded himself, he did pour a few drops of the Returning Sun Water on the Profound Goddess' Palm out of curiosity, but it remained as dead as ever. But with the news of its revival, he could hardly believe it.

Han Li promptly made his way into the medicine garden.

The Profound Goddess' Palm was placed next to several other precious spirit medicines such as the Ninecurl Ginseng.

When he arrived, he clearly saw the current condition of the Profound Goddess' Palm. Despite what mental preparations he made, he was fully shocked.

Originally, the green liquid from the small mysterious bottle only changed its color green slightly but it remained completely dry. But now, its palms spread throughout the ground and climbed up on many white jade stone pillars. It was lush, green, and filled with life. The vine emitted a faint scent that exceeded the qualities of the medicines in the garden. Even the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng's white rabbit incarnation felt at ease sleeping on one of the vine roots.

When Han Li arrived near it, the white rabbit's ears moved and its fire-red eyes opened a sliver and resumed its nap after seeing it was Han Li.

After several hundred years of contact with Han Li, the Ninecurl Ginseng's incarnation had begun to treat Han Li's garden as its own. Under his protection, the rabbit hadn't encountered the slightest danger and no longer felt any danger towards him.

Han Li remained silent and didn't bother it. Rather, he began to examine the vine.

Apart from emitting an astonishing spiritual Qi, the revived Profound Goddess' Palm appeared no different from ordinary vines. But under careful examination, one could find a few peculiar differences.

The vine's color was emerald green, but its surface seemed to give off a metallic sheen. Additionally, the veins of the vine's leaves were bizarre. Each one was distinct but were somewhat familiar.

Han Li silently gazed at the leaves and his heart stirred as something came to mind.

The vein patterns had a faint resemblance to the silver runes on the golden jade tome.

He frowned and examined a dozen more leaves before eventually discovering something wondrous.

The leave patterns were written in half of the silver rune scripts as if they were written only to half completion.

Han Li was amazed for a long while. Eventually, he brought himself to touch the leaves with his fingers.

They were sleek and smooth as if he touched fine jade.

He stroked his chin and began to wear a pensive expression.

At that moment, he thought to call out to the Soaring Sky Beast and ask it a few questions related to the profound spirit trees, but he finally decided not to.

As of current, the child was most likely cultivating inside the Heavenvoid Cauldron. He was completely ignorant of what was happening.

Even since he returned to his cave residence, he wanted to make use of the cauldron's power and completely severed the demon's connection to the outside.

So long as he remained in secluded cultivation, he wouldn't release the demon beast to prevent any of his secrets from being made known.

As such, the Soaring Sky Beast didn't have any knowledge of the small mysterious bottle.

As for any rumors or legends regarding the Profound Goddess' Palm, Han Li had already researched them.

According to a few creation myths, when life sprung from primal chaos, the profound heavens came, being lifted with the appearance of spirit trees. Regardless of the spirit tree, it would spring flowers and grow fruit that granted inconceivable abilities that ignored the laws of the world. They were true heaven-defying treasures.

However, these were only rumors during ancient times. He had never seen it for himself.

However, for this to be mentioned several times in ancient records could be considered to be substantial. Furthermore, they had unique growth cycles that spanned a hundred thousand years, but their flowers would bloom and bear fruits that lasted only a few days or even a few hours.

Under such a time, their ripeness would deteriorate quickly, meaning that it would only be wishful thinking for anyone to harvest them.

Only the flowers and fruits of profound heavenly trees are the only ones that possess heaven-breaking abilities that can ignore the laws of the world. As for vines and wood, they could only be materials for tool refinement. They were nowhere near as valuable.

Although Han Li didn't have the child know of the small portion of the Profound Goddess' Palm root in his possession, he didn't plan on having him know of its revival with the Returning Sun Water Either.

Even if the Profound Goddess' Palm found its way into someone else's possession, it would be of little value as they couldn't acquire its flowers or fruit. But it would tempt others nevertheless and cause huge problems. And with his small mysterious bottle, if he could use it to mature the vine, he should be able to acquire its fruits and flowers after two or three hundred years. He wasn't about to give up on such a grand opportunity.

If he allowed the child to know of this matter, who knows if he could get that information to his main body in the spirit realm. That was just asking for trouble.

In any case though, the Soaring Sky Beast should know far more about the tree than he did. But with further thought, he gave up on the idea.

Having come to his decision, he let out a long sigh and placed down several profound restrictions around the plant, causing the medicine garden to resume its original appearance.

Three days later, Han Li left the puppet at the cave residence as he called out to Lu Luo and his other sect elders, informing them of his departure.

He later appeared above a nameless mountain in the Scattered Star Seas and disappeared past the horizon in an azure streak.

One night several months later, in the Star Palace temple at the top of Heavenly Star City, a beautiful woman in white palace robes was sitting down on a mat in a hidden room. Her eyes were closed, her hands were in an incantation gesture and white light roamed across her body as if she were cultivating something.

As the spiritual light flickered continuously a trace of pain appeared on the woman's face.

The white light pulsed in brightness and just as it appeared to lose control, the woman ceased her incantation gesture and halted her cultivation.

Following that, the white light from her body eventually dissipated.

She let out a sigh and opened her eyes, unconsciously looked around her.

The woman was immediately frightened and shock appeared on her face.

Sitting at the corner of the room was a person with their arms behind his back. He was looking at her with a mysterious smile.

"Brother Han, so it is you." The woman relaxed after clearly seeing his face and sweetly smiled. But through the depth of her beauty was a faint trace of fear.

This was an important area for the Star Palace. There were over thirty layers of restrictions present but he was able to sneak in without alerting her.

"Fellow Daoist Ling, in the years we haven't seen each other, your grace remains strong. However, your cultivation technique seems unsuitable." Han Li spoke with a slight smile.

"As you've said, there must be a problem with my cultivation. I've been meaning to seek some guidance from an expert. Now that you're here, I'll have to make a request."

Han Li chuckled, "Oh? Guidance will be out of the question, but I'll give you my thoughts after you speak. But before that, I want to retrieve the Essensefuse Mountain."

Ling Yuling was stunned and hesitantly asked, "Of course, it was something you left in our care after all. However, how do you intend on moving it?"

"I have a way, but I don't know if it will truly work. I can only give it a try." Han Li slowly replied.

With surprise briefly appearing on her face, she answered, "In that case, I'll guide you there."

"Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Ling!" Han Li nodded with satisfaction.

Two hours later, the two arrived in a passage underneath the mountain, arriving in front of a large jade door.

Ling Yuling released the seal on the door with the command medallion in her hand and it slowly opened.

Han Li let out a sigh and slowly walked in.

Ling Yuling followed after some hesitation.

The past scene appeared once more.

As they walked past the gate, the elemental power immediately immersed them and violently stirred the spiritual power in their bodies to rush out.

However, Han Li was now at the peak of late-Nascent Soul stage with far denser and purer magic power than before. He wasn't about to allow his spiritual power to be absorbed.

He immediately circulated his cultivation art and suppressed the oddities occurring in his body. Then with his hands held in an incantation gesture, he slowly focused on the center of his chest.

A crackle sounded. An egg-sized ball of light appeared, glowing with five-colored light that roamed across its surface.

Suddenly, nearby elemental light coiling around Han Li immediately dimmed by a third.

Standing behind him, Ling Yuling could sense the changes of elemental power and smiled, "Congratulations Brother Han, you've completed the first layer of the Divine Essensefuse Light."

"If I hadn't refined the light to this point, I wouldn't have been able to shift the mountain," Han Li casually replied with a chuckle.

Ling Yuling couldn't help but urge, "Although you only cultivated the first layer of the Divine Essensefused Light, you can move the mountain. But I fear it won't be an easy matter to take it. If Brother Han's method isn't effective, wouldn't it be better to join our palace? You have my guarantee that no one will disturb your cultivation and that you will have priority over our resources."

Han Li glanced at Ling Yuling and indifferently said, "Fellow Daoist Ling doesn't need to mention it again. If I intended on entering the palace, I would've already done so. As for whether my method will work, I'll have to give it a try first."

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Han Li tossed the ball of spiritual light in his hand which is suspended itself in midair.

He reached to his waist with his other hand, summoning a small flag that was several inches long.

The flag was entirely crimson and released bursts of scarlet light that contained ghostly wails.

Ling Yuling glanced at the item in surprise and shot an odd glance at Han Li.

However, Han Li had no intention of explaining anything. He simply muttered to himself and tossed the flag above him.

Light flashed and a small flag massively surged in size, turning three meters tall in the blink of an eye. The surface of the flag glistened crimson as if it were coated with blood.

When he pointed at the huge flag, it spread open, emitting a mist until it was only a crimson cloud, and rushed to the top of Essencefused Mountain.

The cloud roiled as it stopped over its destination and began to slowly expand, covering most of the top and filling the air with a stench as if blood were mixed into the air.

Ling Yuling swept her spiritual sense through the cloud and sensed an unfathomable amount of Yin souls. In a start, she hastily withdrew her spiritual sense, a sense of dread lingering in her mind.

At that moment, Han Li took large steps towards the Essensefused Mountain and waved his hand into the air.

A ball of light flashed and shot towards the small mountain, vanishing from sight.

Han Li waved his hand again, this time reaching his hand out and grabbing at the air.

The small mountain flickered with rainbow light and swayed several times. Its rumbling shook the air, and it eventually lifted off from the ground, slowly floating up to the blood cloud.

Lin Yuling looked on in astonishment. The mountain entered the cloud and vanished.

Han Li then released a spell seal from his hand.

The blood cloud roiled before it eventually shrunk and returned to its form as a crimson banner several inches large. It fell back into Han Li's hand only a moment later.

The mountain was now as empty as could be as if the Essensefused Mountain was never there.

"A spatial treasure!"

Ling Yuling eventually regained her bearings, shock still clear on her face.

"The treasure does have some spatial abilities, and it seems I've given you quite a show!" Han Li smiled in satisfaction, having swept his spiritual sense through the Crimson Soul Banner.

Ling Yuling gasped in surprise and let "It has spatial abilities and can even take in the Essensefused Mountain. I fear only a few exist in the mortal world. How fortunate that Fellow Daoist Han was able to acquire one."

Back when the Star Palace Sages left behind the method to control Han Li, they believed that cultivating the Divine Essensefused Light would've kept him tied to the Star Palace. But now, Han Li rendered her completely powerless with this ingenious move.

The woman inwardly sighed, finally giving up on having Han Li joined the Star Palace.

Crimson light flashed from his hand and the small flag disappeared. Following that, Han Li pondered to himself for a moment and smiled at her, "I can stay at the palace for a short amount of time, exchange a few cultivation insights with you, and take a look at what is causing you problems with your cultivation. But during this time, I still have something I need your help with."

Although Ling Yuling blanked for a second, she immediately replied with a smile, "Brother Han has already treated out palace with much kindness. It is only natural for us to help you as best we can. There is no need to be so polite."

"It is a small matter. I want to know the most recent whereabouts of the golden wyrm in the outer seas. The more accurate its position, the better." Han Li calmly spoke as if it were a trivial matter, but Ling Yuling was astonished upon hearing him. Her eyes grew wide.

With a hesitant tone, she muttered, "Brother Han wishes to know the whereabouts of that old demon? Could it be you..."

Han Li shot a glance at the girl and raised his eyebrow, "Of course I have reasons for finding the Golden Wyrm King. You don't need to think too much as to why. I will not involve your palace. Or do you mean to say the matter is too difficult?"

Ling Yuling shook her head and replied with a solemn expression, "Brother Han has shown much kindness to the palace. Even with a more difficult request, I still wouldn't decline it. However, these past few years the palace has completely withdrawn our men from the outer seas. And as the golden wyrm is a grade ten demon cultivation, I fear it will take more than just a few days to find its whereabouts."

"Time is no matter. I don't mind waiting for several years for this information," Han Li casually replied.

Ling Yuling wiped away her hesitation and stated, "In that case, we will immediately make arrangements. Fellow Daoist, you can stay as long as you wish."

Han Li nodded, satisfied to hear of her agreement.

The two then chatted a while longer and departed from the cave.

Two years later, a man and a woman floated above an unnamed island in the Outer Star Seas. the man had a common appearance but also bright and intelligent eyes. The woman had a delicate and dainty appearance.

The two appeared both quite young, but the woman appeared to treat the man with the utmost respect. The young man appeared completely indifferent.

"From what you said, the Golden Wyrm King should arrive at this island! Could it have changed its mind and decided to go elsewhere?"

The man's voice wasn't loud, but the woman replied with the utmost respect, "Elder Han, please be at ease. I've already made several inquiries. It is information acquired from the soul search of a high-grade demon cultivator. At the depths of this island should be an extremely rare spirit fruit. Although it isn't very useful to humans, it is beloved by the wyrm clan. The Golden Wyrm King comes here every ten years when the spirit fruit is ripe and eats it below the island no matter what obstruction. If the location of the fruit didn't change or if it died, the wyrm clan would've moved elsewhere. It should be the period where the spirit fruit is ripe. The Golden Wyrm King should definitely come under normal circumstances."

"Hm, then I will wait a few more days." The man said with a sullen voice.

Of course, the man was Han Li, and the woman was a disciple Ling Yuling sent to guide him.

After two years of searching with the complete might of the Star Palace, they finally found the whereabouts of the Golden Wyrm King. Han Li remained at the palace during this time, until this woman led him outside the city to a secret teleportation formation, quietly bringing him to the outer seas where he waited on the island for several months.

Until now, he had yet to see any trace of the Golden Wyrm King, leading to Han Li to ask the woman again out of impatience.

And with the woman giving a confident reply, Han Li's expression relaxed.

Just when Han Li sighed and thought to ask her for more details, his expression suddenly changed and he turned his head to look at the distant sea.

"Good, it finally arrived. From its aura, there is no doubt it is the Golden Wyrm King." Delight briefly appeared on Han Li's face. Then he turned to the girl and commanded, "You should leave now and take yourself out of danger."

When the disciples heard him, she felt her heart tremble and gave him a quick curtsey before flying away in a white streak.

When Han Li saw the woman leave, he shook his sleeve, summoning forth a small black bottle.

A white demonic wind blew past, followed by the gradual appearance of five skeletons.

"Go."

With Han Li's mental command, the five skeletons immediately scattered, riding away on demonic winds and vanishing in an instant.

Soon after, a spirit beast pouch flew out, and a dozen four-winged centipedes buzzed out. Han Li then commanded them to burrow themselves into the sea underneath the island.

Han Li took another look at the distant sea and sneered, before suddenly fading from sight.

Despite the many techniques he released, this all happened in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, the island was completely barren as if no one had ever been there.

In the time it took to finish a meal, light flashed from the horizon. A golden and an azure streak tore through the air, quickly making their way past the vast ocean. Their light faded to reveal two silhouettes.

One of them had a tall and sturdy body, wore a golden embroidered gown, and a green beard. The other had a thinner body, a silver hat, and azure robes.

As soon as the two appeared, the large man with golden robes wore a hesitant expression over his dignified face. He quickly looked around him but discovered nothing odd.

When the azure-robed cultivators saw this, he wore an odd expression and asked, "What? Did Fellow Daoist Jin discover something amiss?"

The gold-robed man frowned and doubtfully said, "When we were farther, it appeared there was someone that swept past us with their spiritual sense. However, that spiritual sense was somewhat weak so it could've been a trick of the mind."

The azure-robed man laughed, "If that was truly the case, wouldn't that mean their spiritual sense is far more powerful than Brother Jin's? How can that be possible?"

"Brother Feng thinks too highly of me. Although I am known as the Golden Wyrm King, that is only in the nearby seas that shake from my might. Outside, I'm nothing much." The golden-robed man shook his head and quickly swept his spiritual sense past the island. He felt relieved at having found nothing.

Of course, he couldn't have known that the cinque devils had already scattered to the far edges of the sky and the six-winged frost centipedes were hidden a kilometer below. As for Han Li, his spiritual sense was indeed far superior to the wyrm, so detection was impossible.

The azure-robed cultivator disapproved the large man's carefulness, but he smiled and praised, "Brother Jin is truly modest. Apart from Deity Transformation cultivators, what could possibly threaten you? However, this place is quite desolate. If you haven't brought me here, I couldn't have known that the Dragon Scale Fruit grows here."

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"I found the tree unintentionally in the past. From then on, I came here to pick the fruit once every ten years. In human records, the fruit is said to be wondrous. Once eaten, it would allow one to soar the skies. High-grade cultivators may see it as worthless, but it is rather delicious for those from the wyrm clan like me. But who could've known that the spirit fruit is beyond what the human records have described. If one eats it often, it can strengthen one's body, granting limitless strength. However, this won't occur without periodic consumption. Very few of these fruits exist in this world, so human cultivators weren't able to figure this out. However, I'm quite surprised that Fellow Daoist Feng knows many secrets, including the method transport the fruit tree." The large golden-robed man looked at the azure-robed cultivator with an odd expression.

The azure-robed cultivator calmly replied, "I merely found the ancient remains belonging to an ancient demon. The secrets of the fruit and its method of moving it was left behind on it. It also mentioned that each time a fruit was taken, it would change one's body very slightly where one wouldn't notice any effects. But if one were to eat one every day over a long time, one's body would become as tyrannical as that of a true dragon. But there is no way of knowing that is true."

"In theory it certainly is possible, but in truth, that can't happen. Even if we gathered together all of the Dragon Scale Fruit trees, there is no way for one person to eat that many of the fruit. Even a single tree is extremely previous to our wyrm clan. Actually, if it weren't for your complete confidence in the method to transplant the fruit tree, I wouldn't have brought you here." The large man said with a solemn expression.

"Hehe, I admire many of the Fellow Daoists in your clan. I wouldn't dare to deceive you. However, you've agreed to my..."

The azure-robed demon cultivator was Feng Xi, the grade-nine Windbreaker Beast that pursued Han Li in the past, the same one who he acquired the Thunderstorm Wings from. And that large man was the Golden Wyrm King. As of current, he didn't appear to be in his half-dragon form from Green Spirit Island but had the appearance of a normal cultivator.

The wyrm king waved his arm, "So long as Fellow Daoist Feng's information is correct, I won't go back on my word. I will present several of the fruit to you."

Feng Xi revealed joy upon hearing this and saluted him with both hands, "These fruits are greatly useful to me. I'll have to thank you ahead of time."

"Enough chatter. We'll first have to see if your method will work," the large man said calmly.

"Be at ease. If I weren't certain, I wouldn't dare to seek you out. This transplant method was something the ancient demon spent all his life researching. Not only is it useful for the Dragon Scale Fruit tree, but it is also useful for other spirit plants." Feng Xi said confidently.

The large man chuckled, "I hope that is the case!"

Feng Xi smiled and said nothing else. His body flickered with azure light and flew downward.

"Wait!"

Feng Xi couldn't help but stop the shout.

With a sullen expression, the large man said, "I still feel there is something a miss. I have a faint sensation of dread. I will use a secret technique to examine the area again to make sure there is nothing wrong."

Feng Xi felt unhappy when he heard this, but he naturally kept quiet. He had no choice but to comply.

With that said, the large man spat out a sparkling golden pearl. With it in his hand, he placed it against his forehead and closed his eyes.

Soon after, light passed by and the light from the pearl gradually shined and strain appeared on the man's face.

The pearl was a rare supplementary treasure that could greatly increase the power of a cultivator's spiritual sense.

When the wyrm released his spiritual sense, it was strengthened by nearly a half. It also strengthened the range of his spiritual sense farther than before.

A short while later, the wyrm's expression changed and he looked around him with sharp eyes. He withdrew the pearl and loudly shouted, "Who dares to sneak up on me!? Reveal yourself!"

His voice shook the air like thunder.

Feng Xi was greatly shocked to hear this and bewilderedly released his spiritual sense.

The wyrm had continued to look at a certain spot on the island with an icy expression.

"I didn't expect your esteemed self to be in possession of such a treasure. It seems I've miscalculated."

A voice spoke from where the wyrm was looking. Then, an azure streak shot forward, arriving a hundred meters away from them in the blink of an eye. Han Li calmly looked at the two.

"It's you!"

"That youth named Li!"

The wyrm king and Feng Xi both shouted out following Han Li's appearance, but the expressions on their faces greatly differed. Feng Xi had delight on his face, while the wyrm appeared cautious.

The large man narrowed his eyes and coldly asked, "What? Does Fellow Daoist Feng know this person?"

"Brother Jin, this is the human cultivator who killed your descendant in the past and stole away a treasure I refined. I didn't expect him to see him again in the outer seas after so many years. This time, we cannot allow him to escape. Yi! His cultivation..." In his excitement, Feng Xi swept his spiritual sense past Han Li and his expression vastly changed to disbelief.

A golden light flashed from the large man's eyes and he sullenly said, "Hmph, escape? Haven't you noticed? This person took the initiative to come to us!"

"Impossible, when I last saw him, he was only a Core Formation cultivator. How has he acquired the fearsome power of a grand cultivator?"

When Feng Xi sensed Han Li's unrestrained cultivation, his mind grew blank from shock.

"Fellow Daoist Feng spent several hundred years in secluded cultivation. It seems you haven't heard what happened at Green Spirit Island. There is no doubt that this person is a grand cultivator. His arrival is far from good. We'll have to deal with him carefully." The Golden Wyrm King said through a voice transmission.

Feng Xi licked his lips and nodded without a thought.

As the two demons looked at Han Li with hostile expressions, Han Li spoke, "Originally I was only waiting for Fellow Daoist Jin. I didn't expect the pleasant surprise of finding another old friend. It seems this trip has been well worth it." He had his hands held behind his back and wore a cold smile after taking a look at the azure-robed demon cultivator.

The large man fiercely smiled and boldly asked, "You wished to find me? Could it be you felt that peak-grade spirit stone was too much for you to handle and you wished to hand it over to me?"

"It is still useful to me, so I'm afraid I can't let you have it. This time, I've come to take your demon core. If you spit it out for me, we won't have to fight." Han Li's calm words left the two demons completely stunned.

The Golden Wyrm King grinned in his fury and bellowed in savage laughter. "You want my core? You dare you to say such words in front of this king? Good, very good! If you want it, come get it!" A layer of dazzling light suddenly shined from his robes, instantly revealing glistening gold armor.

Meanwhile, a blinding light appeared from the old devil and glistening scales appeared on his cheek. A dragon's tail appeared from the back of his body.

The demon king was sharp, quickly turning his body into a half-demon state for combat.

He flipped his hand, summoning a golden halberd in his hand, silver lightning arcing from its surface. The halberd let out a roll of thunder before blurring out of sight, appearing in front of Han Li just a moment later.

It fiercely struck while covered in lightning.

The demon king attacked immediately without another word.

Han Li's heart trembled but he was already prepared. Without a thought, he waved the item he hid in his sleeve.

Silver light flashed in front of him followed by the strange appearance of a meter-large lotus.

The golden halberd struck the lotus at its center.

A huge eruption sounded and the silver lotus violently swayed, seven-colored Buddhist light shooting out from its center. The spear was blocked, and the light from the lotus faded, but it appeared undisturbed.

Han Li quickly formed an incantation gesture with his hands as thunder suddenly rang out from his back where a pair of azure and white wings appeared. With a gentle flap, he appeared over thirty meters away. A sneer appeared on his face as he looked at the two demons.

"The Thunderstorm Wings!" Feng Xi shouted in fury upon seeing them and his body shook. Red light flashed in his hands, summoning a pair of short axes.

He waved them, sending them off to Han Li in crimson streaks.

Han Li coldly glanced at the demon and snorted. He opened his mouth and spat out an azure mist. It contained a cauldron that was several inches large, the Heavenvoid Cauldron.

Han Li uttered the Artifact Imprint Technique in his mind and a clear ring sounded from the cauldron. Its lid flew off.

Winds tore towards Han Li as the two crimson streaks arrived above his head. They spun, just as they were about to cleave down, almost certainly about to tear him to pieces.

But Han Li simply extended his finger to the cauldron in front of him and flicked it.

Bang. A mass of azure threads shot out, filling the air with azure light and wrapping around the two crimson streaks.

Feng Xi was greatly alarmed and hastily commanded his treasures to free themselves. But despite his commands, he watched as the axes were dragged into the small cauldron and away from sight, his mental connection to them severed.

When Feng Xi saw this, he was left dumbstruck!

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When Feng Xi saw this, he felt a chill down his back, 'Those two axes are something I acquired from a Nascent Soul cultivator I killed. They have many uncommon abilities, but they were unable to activate and were seized by that unremarkable small cauldron without any effort.

As of current, he realized Han Li was no longer the Core Formation cultivator that fled for his life.

After his first strike failed, the wyrm king didn't continue his attack. Instead, he recalled the golden halberd with a wave of his hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Feng, be careful. That small cauldron is the Heavenvoid Cauldron of human legend. It would be best for us to attack together."

"The Heavenvoid Cauldron! Yes, let's do as you say. So long as we kill this person, I'll give the cauldron to you. All I want are the Thunderstorm Wings that was taken from me."

"It is agreed." The wyrm king wildly laughed and golden armor shined from his body. Dazzling golden light radiated from his body as his body ascended into the air like a blazing sun. The light was near blinding.

It was clear the demon was circulating the fullest extent of his body's magic power.

Then, an inconceivable event occurred.

The wyrm king let out a long shriek and a light blurred from underneath his ribs, producing another pair of gold-scaled arms.

The two arms grabbed at the air and light flashed. One of the arms held a white meter-long sword while the other was holding onto a small glistening shield. The shield was filled with coin-sized scales, appearing as if they were refined from the scales of the wyrm king himself.

The demon then pointed his only free hand at the sky and formed an incantation gesture as if making use of a secret technique.

When Han Li saw this, he narrowed his eyes and his face grew sullen. The words 'Sacred Provenance Plate' appeared in his mind along with its connection to the Elder Devils.

Feng Xi tore away at the robes on his body to reveal his bare upper body. He then lowered his torso and revealed two protrusions on his back, followed by the unfolding of his wings. Each of the wings was three meters long and was bright green.

At that same time, Feng Xi's face turned dark grey and his hands turned into extremely sharp claws that possessed a chilling sheen.

Both of the demons were now in half transformations.

Han Li curved his mouth several times as he watched this and eventually settled with a slight smile. "It seems you two are taking me seriously now. That is fine, but don't blame me for having some help too."

Before the wyrm king and Feng Xi understood the meaning of Han Li's words, they heard wailing and shrieks from the horizon, as if something were flying towards them from all sides. At that same time, white light flashed from underneath the island, followed by a dozen white streaks ascending from the ground.

"Attack! Kill him before his help arrives!" A fierce expression appeared on the wyrm king's face as he shouted.

Soon after, the wyrm king ceased his incantation gesture and opened his mouth, releasing a dense beam of golden light as he set into motion. He pounced so quickly at Han Li, he left an afterimage in his wake, still unleashing light from his mouth.

Feng Xi didn't dare to slow down. He unfolded his wings and wrapped himself in a gale, blurring his image as he charged forward.

When Han Li saw this, he raised his brow, but he didn't move. He raised his hand to reveal a green wooden ruler and spun it in his palm.

A large silver lotus bloomed in front of him and covered him completely.

And with a flip of his other hand, a ball of tri-colored light lit up, turning into a feathered fan.

Han Li took hold of it and waved it in the direction of the incoming ray of light.

A pillar of tri-colored flame rushed out and struck the golden pillar of light in front of silver lotus.

A large gust blew from the collision. Although the ray of light was condensed from the wyrm king's demon power, the pillar of flame stopped it and seemed to even be consuming it.

When the Golden Wyrm King saw this, his heart trembled, but he didn't stop in the slightest and waved one of his arms.

Golden light flickered and the wyrm scale shield was summoned forward. It turned into a dense barrier of light around him, protecting him as he brandished his other two weapons.

White swordlight and the golden spear streak filled the air with flowing radiance, raining down attacks like a storm at the tri-colored flame.

Not only were the golden spear and the white sword amazingly sharp, but they didn't fear the immense heat from the flames. Gold and white light seemed to weave a net, rigidly blocking the halo of light that followed from the eruption of the flame.

Han Li was astonished, but he couldn't deal with this matter as of current, as Feng Xi had circled around him using an unknown movement technique. From over a hundred meters away, Feng Xi now flew around to his side.

His two wings unfolded and he readied his claws.

The sound of tearing winds loudly sounded.

Countless feathers erupted from his wings in a barrage of arrows, and each swipe of his talons produced countless claw streaks, all of them striking at Han Li's silver lotus barrier.

Han Li glanced at Feng Xi's overbearing attacks with seeming indifference, but nevertheless, he opened his mouth and summoned three golden streaks.

Heavy rings continuously sounded out as the azure feathers and claw streaks struck the surface of the lotus, but the attacks seemed to disappear as soon as they struck while the lotus remained unharmed and continued to spin in place.

When shock appeared on Feng Xi's face from seeing his attacks nullified, three inch-long golden swords oddly warped in front of him.

The demon unconsciously waved his wings in a start, and his body blurred.

The sword Qi flashed and the small swords pierced holes in him, but all they struck was an afterimage.

In the following moment, Feng Xi appeared over seventy meters away. His face was pale as if the maneuver cost him much magic power.

Han Li frowned. He hadn't anticipated that the demon would have such mastery over wind evasion techniques. If he wished to kill the demon, he would spend some effort.

Having thought this, he commanded the small swords to extend to a foot in length, turn around, and closely pursue Feng Xi.

Feng Xi's expression turned cold.

Suddenly, a pair of large azure claws appeared in midair and swiped at the swords with lightning speed. In a moment, all of them were captured.

A wicked expression appeared from the demon's face and he used a secret technique to clamp down with all his might, intending to crush them.

But when the claws lit up with azure light, he saw that the swords didn't have the slightest trace of damage.

Feng Xi's heart dropped.

Before he could think of anything else, he heard several drones.

The golden flying swords took advantage of his moment of carelessness to break free from their capture, instead winding around the huge claws that captured them and easily cutting them to pieces.

The destroyed claws scattered with the wind.

The flying swords then changed direction, swiftly continuing their pursuit of Feng Xi.

This time, Feng Xi felt an even greater shock.

He quickly opened his mouth and an azure jade bowl flew out. It flipped through the air, suddenly producing an azure barrier to sweep away the flying swords.

As the two sides clashed, several crisp cracks sounded. Under the bright golden glow of the flying swords, the azure barrier was pierced through with ease.

Feng Xi's expression greatly changed. He no longer dared to meet the flying swords head-on, and he flapped his wings flying off to the size in an azure streak. The flying swords changed direction, silently continuing their close pursuit at a speed no slower than Feng Xi's.

At that moment, the demon began to curse in his mind.

As he was forced to twist through the skies, he took a glance at the Golden Wyrm King.

As a result, his heart sank even further.

The Golden Wyrm King blocked the tri-colored flames and had arrived next to Han Li. He struck at the silver lotus with ferocity, each attack seeming to scatter the lotus slightly.

Within the lotus, Han Li simply waved the emerald ruler in his hand a few times and restored all of the damage with a few flashes of seven-colored Buddhist light.

The Golden Wyrm King was unable to deal with him.

Feng Xi's eyes looked around him and he began to ponder whether he should escape. It was clear that Han Li's current abilities far exceeded what he had imagined. And the ferocious flying swords were more than enough to deal with two of him.

But then, the demon came to a sudden stop and remained in place, revealing Feng Xi's half-demon form.

At some unknown time, a dozen meter-long snow-white centipedes had surrounded him. They had four wings and sparkling crystalline bodies.

"The Six-winged Frost Centipedes!" When Feng Xi recognized them, he cried out in alarm and wore an unsightly expression.

The Golden Wyrm King's fierce assault on the lotus also came to a sudden stop, and he tore through the air in a golden streak, hoping to get away.

Han Li's indifferent voice sounded from within the lotus, "It is already too late to think of running away.

As soon as those words were said, ten red threads shot out from the lotus with extreme speed. They flickered several times and tightly wound around the demon. Following that, light flashed from them, turning into several dense ropes of flame. They continued to roil around him and drown him in them.

At that same moment, a grey demon wind blew through the sky, carrying give wheel-sized ghost heads. They all appeared fierce and wailed without end. They entered the sea of flames without any regard for it.

Within the flames, the Golden Wyrm King let out a shout of terror. His cold scream contained an immense fear.

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As Feng Xi swept his gaze past the scene, an icy chill froze over his heart.

Be it another attack from Han Li or the dozen Six-winged Frost Centipedes surrounding him, he wouldn't be able to deal with any of them.

Having come to a decision, Feng Xi grasped his hand in an incantation gesture and a crimson red bloomed from his upper body. Blood loudly splurt out from his flesh, hiding his body in a cloud of blood.

Meanwhile, the demon's wings absorbed the blood in an instant and turned scarlet.

He took a deep breath and waved his wings, intending on fleeing using a secret technique. But at that moment, he heard a beautiful scripture being uttered and a huge attractive force weighing down on his body.

The demon felt his body tensed as he was kept in place, the magic power in his body frozen.

At that moment, Feng Xi discovered a foot large silver lotus below him in his terror. It was slowly blooming, keeping him trapped in seven-colored Buddhist light.

The demon panicked, immediately casting techniques in an attempt to escape.

However, the dozen centipedes surrounding him used this opportunity to spit glacial Qi onto him.

The icy white Qi enveloped him, containing the blood cloud completely. Feng Xi's miserable screams sounded from within it.

A distance away, Han Li fiddle with the Eight Spirit Ruler in his hand with a calm expression, not even taking a glance in Feng Xi's direction.

Everything was completely under his control.

At that moment, the Golden Wyrm King's void came to a sudden stop.

This caused Han Li to cause his brow and take a look upward.

A world-shaking explosion suddenly sounded from within the sea of flames, and the flames scattered in an instant. A gust blew out, followed by something flying at immense speed.

Han Li's expression sank and thunder rang out from his back. He vanished.

In the next moment, the thing that escaped came to a sudden stop. Above it, azure and white lightning flashed, followed by Han Li's sudden appearance.

Han Li looked down and only saw the skeleton of a miniature wyrm. It was only a foot large and glistened with golden light as if it were created from pure gold.

The flood dragon was holding onto a thumb-sized golden core in its mouth.

Wails sounded from behind it, and five ghost heads charged out from the sea of flames with miserable faces. Their faces were ashen as if they were injured.

The golden bone wyrm stirred upon seeing the cinque devils and immediately flew off in a golden streak, soon vanishing from sight.

Above, Han Li coldly snorted. Black light flashed from his brow, following the appearance of a third black eye. It released a streak of black light that disappeared as soon as it appeared.

As a result, a muffled explosion sounded. Golden and black light intertwined and the bone wyrm toppled out from the explosion, flipping several times.

The bone wyrm knew things were far from good. It immediately thought to regain its bearings and continue its escape, but it was already too late.

Azure light suddenly flashed from nearby, following the appearance of an azure net that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The bone wyrm was caught and was unable to move.

Meanwhile, a three-meter-long golden light flew out from the sky. Golden light flashed and the bone wyrm was cleaved into two.

A green flame flew out from the bone wyrm yet again in a desperate escape.

However, Han Li was already prepared. He reached out with a single hand, creating a large azure hand and grabbing ahold of the green flame.

Following that, Han Li flashed forward and took out a small green bottle with a shake of his sleeve.

He flipped the bottle, and it released a black mist.

The azure hand relaxed its grip, allowing the mist to sweep past the green flame and draw it back into the bottle.

After that was done, Han Li raised the bottle and swept his spiritual sense inside of it, wearing a satisfied expression from what he saw.

The soul of a grade-ten demon beast was an incredibly rare material.

Once the small bottle was placed away. He took a look at the golden pearl and the remnants of the bone wyrm and collected them without a thought.

The pearl was clearly his main objective, the metal-attribute wyrm core.

As for the golden skeleton, he was rather interested in it.

Back in the sea of flames, he saw the wyrm king unable to escape the shackles of his flame threads and the jaws of the cinque devil. But through some unknown technique, he detonated his flesh and broke free, scattering his constraints and controlling his miniaturized skeleton with his soul.

In this manner, the wyrm king seemed to have two bodies. He would be able to catch his opponent off guard in this inconceivable turn of events, shedding off his flesh and fleeing with his bones.

The wyrm king was a grade ten demon cultivator and a famous one at that. It would be odd if he were killed off so easily.

Han Li possessed two spirit treasures, and the cinque devils. Ordinary late-Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't hope to compare.

The wyrm king was already far stronger than ordinary demon beasts, but the Eight Spirit Ruler had miraculous defensive abilities and he naturally wasn't able to break through in a short amount of time. And with the capture by the renown fire spirit threads and the flesh-eating cinque devils suppressing him, Han Li was able to subdue him without any further abilities

Han Li curiously examined the golden skeleton and hesitated before placing it in his storage pouch as well.

At that moment, Feng Xi remained trapped within the white glacial mist to no surprise. The frost Qi of the dozen centipedes had already sealed it into ice.

Han Li glanced at the enemy he once feared long ago and shook his head. His thoughts stirred and he had his flying swords streak around the block of ice.

Suddenly, the ice split into chunks and a green demon soul rushed out from it, fleeing off in a panic. But it ran into a centipede headfirst and was swallowed with hardly any resistance, becoming mere insect food.

With the two demons were killed, Han Li decided to examine the storage pouches they left behind.

Han Li found a pleasant surprise.

From Feng Xi's storage pouch, he acquired an ancient jade slip detailing several demon cultivator techniques as well as information on the Dragon Scale Fruit. It also detailed methods to uproot and transplant different kinds of spirit trees. It should prove greatly useful.

From the storage pouch of wyrm king, he found an interesting technique called the Tempered Bone Arts. It would allow humans and demons to cultivate their skeleton to the point of becoming a magic treasure, and in the process, it would turn one's flesh unreasonably powerful. It was a pity that it took much time to cultivate this technique. He was too busy to cultivate this technique was of current, but he collected it into his storage pouch nonetheless.

After he collected all of the cinque devils and centipedes, he immediately flew off in an azure streak and flew into the nearby seas. Since the Dragon Scale Fruit had such miraculous effects, he couldn't let it go.

As a result, Han Li eliminated several restrictions he found in a cave underneath the sea and eventually found the tree.

Fortunately, Feng Xi packed all the materials he needed to uproot the spirit tree. Han Li naturally put them to good use and shrunk the tree for temporary storage in his pouch.

In the time it took to finish a meal, an azure streak brushed through the seas and disappeared off the horizon.

When Han Li returned to the Inner Star Seas and the Heavenly South, almost another year had passed.

When he returned to the Dreamcloud Mountains travel-worn, Nangong Wan, his disciples, and several sect elders gathered together with him for a secret discussion.

After most of a day passed, they all left.

Their expressions were all grave as if the topic had been of great importance.

Not long after, the Drifting Cloud Sect's disciples discovered that the sect had begun to gather together large quantities of obscure spirit medicines no matter what the cost. At that same time, cultivators in higher positions of the sect repeatedly gathered together for discussions.

Not long after, a piece of information was made known throughout the Heavenly South.

Han Li, the Grand Elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect, in his last journey acquired a secret technique that would aid in breaking through to Deity Transformation.

However, the secret technique was quite peculiar and required a special area to cultivate. As such, the greatest cultivator in the Heavenly South planned on departing from the Drifting Cloud Sect for several hundred years in secluded cultivation. Apart from life or death situations for the sect or until he fails in cultivating this technique, he will not easily emerge from this place.

When this information was made known, the higher echelons of the large sects had different attitudes spanning from excitement, happiness, worry, and fear that great events will shake the Heavenly South once more.

After a year passed, not only did Han Li disappear, but his Dao companion Nangong Wan, Mu Peiling, and his other personal disciples also disappeared.

But Liu Yu did remain at the sect.

The Drifting Cloud Sect ceased their attitude of expansion and began to consolidate their existing power. Although the other sects eyed the resources of the Drifting Cloud Sect with greed, Han Li's fearsome reputation kept them at bay.

A year, ten, and a hundred passed by. The greatest cultivator of the Heavenly South had completely disappeared and had yet to make another appearance.

In the Drifting Cloud Sect, the Dreamcloud Mountains, and even the Heavenly South, Han Li's reputation began to fade with time and fewer people mentioned him. After an unknown amount of time, the grand elder of the Drifting Cloud Sect turned into a legend and his position remained empty for over a thousand years before a new grand elder was selected for the sect.

But after nearly a thousand years, a golden era appeared yet again for the Drifting Cloud Sect. Nascent Soul cultivators sprouted up in large numbers, elevating the sect to becoming a superpower in the Heavenly South. Its prosperity remained for thousands of years to come.

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After the battle with the Elder Devil at Devilfall Valley, the restrictions outside the valley gradually decreased. After so many years passed, the valley became open to any cultivator who wished.

But after so many cultivators scoured the outer valley for treasure, spiritual medicines, ores, and other rare materials until near depletion. Only the most secret and yet discovered corners of the valley might still have something hidden. Perhaps one may find something if they are lucky enough.

As such, cultivators that seek treasures in the valley became increasingly sparse and now the valley had hardly any difference to an ordinary spiritual area.

On the other hand, Devilfall Valley's interior depths still possessed its ominous reputation.

The restrictions in the valley depths hadn't weakened despite the many years that had passed. The spatial tears it possessed were as numerous as ever. In addition, in the most recent couple hundred of years, an odd white mist mysteriously filled the area.

Although the mist didn't directly harm cultivators, anyone who entered it would immediately feel dizzy and have their spiritual sense greatly restricted. If they wanted to head in any further, they would lose their sense of direction.

This strange appearance caused a commotion in the Heavenly South for a time.

Many cultivators determined that a rare treasure descended upon the world in the valley and that this mist was a heavenly omen. But no matter how good a treasure is, it can't be more important than one's own life. Many high-grade cultivators hesitated to enter the valley, not daring to charge into it.

But not long after, several vagrant Nascent Soul cultivators were driven by greed and joined hands to enter the valley depths.

As a result, they were trapped inside the mists for several years and the treasures they relief on to guide them through the mist's confusion were completely ineffective. Eventually, after wandering randomly, they managed to desperately escape.

Later on, several confident cultivators also entered the valley depths, but they met an even worse end, either by running into a spatial tear or being trapped for even longer.

The longest known case had wandered mindlessly in the mist for over fifty years. If it weren't for the rich spiritual Qi in the valley, this person wouldn't have been able to sustain himself until he managed to escape.

The rumors came as a shock to many Nascent Soul cultivators, and none dared to rush into the valley.

As a result, the depths of Devilfall Valley once again became a forbidden zone in the Heavenly South and would rarely have anyone enter it.

As time passed by, the cultivators of the Heavenly South became accustomed to the mist. Cultivators who entered the valley believed the mist to be natural and none investigated its source.

But who could've known that inside a hidden corner of the valley, there was a small-scale cave residence carved out of jade.

To the side of the residence, there was what appeared to be a common medicine garden over three hundred meters wide. It contained countless rare spirit medicines that would've driven cultivators on the outside mad with envy. And these spirit medicines aged anywhere from several hundred years old to over a thousand, releasing a captivating medicinal scent.

Nearby the small valley, there were layers upon layers of restrictions that could easily prevent any Nascent Soul cultivator who entered it from escaping.

At the center of the medicinal garden, there was a stone building. It was empty apart from a woven mat.

A cultivator was sitting cross-legged on it, as still as a statue.

An unknown amount of time passed before the person began to move. He stood up and slowly stroke out the building.

Underneath the sunshine, the person's face was made clear. The face belonged to Han Li, but

it was expressionless and incredibly stiff.

Han Li strode to the corner of the medicine garden and reached down, digging out a small green bottle from the dirt. Afterwards, he walked to another corner of the garden until he arrived in front of a few especially green vines and poured a drop of green liquid on its roots.

The vines absorbed the liquid nearly instantly and Han Li turned around, placing the bottle back where it was originally, and head back to the building to meditate.

But suddenly, he stopped and he held out his hand. A white formation plate was flying towards him.

He caught it and looked down. Large amounts of azure text floated off of it.

After heading it, Han Li took to the skies and flew off to another hidden corner of the valley.

Eventually, he arrived at his destination, in front of a three-meter-wide small-scale spell formation.

He took a seat and uttered not a word.

A short moment later, the teleportation formation glowed with trembling light and an azure silhouette walked out from it.

The person took large steps forward from the teleportation formation, revealing himself to be another Han Li.

The newly appeared Han Li appeared to have the same one that was waiting. He smiled and said, "I've troubled you much these past few years. If it weren't for you delivering spirit medicines to the teleportation formation every day, I feared I wouldn't have been able to cultivate to the peak of early-Deity Transformation stage in such a short amount of time.

"I am you and you are me. What difference is there?" The first Han Li spoke with an indifferent expression. He was the second Nascent Soul that controlled the human-like puppet.

The newly arrived Han Li was the original and had just emerged from secluded cultivation from within the spatial pocket.

It was now three hundred years since Han Li left the Drifting Cloud Sect.

At the time, he brought Nangong Wan and his disciples away from the sect to an ancient teleportation formation. They then journeyed to the Scattered Star Seas and occupied a small remote island with decent spirit veins. After they were settled there, Han Li made the journey back to the Heavenly South's Devilfall Valley and entered the spatial pocket where he began to cultivate the Divine Essensefused Light.

But before he entered the spatial pocket, he released his hidden fortune mansion, depositing his spirit beasts and insects there and arranging his medicine garden as well. The Profound Goddess' Palm and the Dragon Scale Fruit were also placed within it.

Finally, he had the human-like puppet remain behind and gave it the small mysterious bottle, leaving the garden entirely in its care.

But he still felt ill at ease, fearing that cultivators would discover traces of him in the valley.

After a year of effort, he placed down a huge ancient formation that released a bewitching mist that manipulated a cultivator's senses and perception, covering most of the valley depths with it.

Then with that finished, he gave his second Nascent Soul several commands and teleported into the spatial pocket through his formation.

Before he began cultivating, Han Li first refined the Golden Wyrm King's core in accordance with the Soaring Sky Beast incarnation's suggestion. Using a peculiar method, he turned it into a metal-attributed core spirit root, allowing him to refine the Divine Essencefused Light with greater ease.

But Han Li and the boy couldn't have possibly known that this unintentional action solved the fatal flaw in cultivating the Divine Essensefused Light. This could be considered a brilliant stroke of luck.

Otherwise, it would've taken Han Li over a hundred years of cultivation before he discovered something amiss. When that time came, even if he began cultivating again, the harm would be too great.

But even with this and the aid of the Essensefused Mountain, Han Li's cultivation still didn't go smoothly.

The cultivation of the first several layers went well enough, breezing through them quickly with the aid of the mountain. But during the later stages, he would often run into bottlenecks and nearly undergo Qi deviation which would result in great harm to his vitality.

If it weren't the countless spirit medicines in hand and that mysterious bottle, he feared his cultivation would've come to an end.

Lastly, what caused him the most pain was cultivating the power of the five elements and the Essensefused Mountain, and fusing them together. For several tens of years, he wasn't able to take a half-step away from the mountain where he experienced hardship that outsiders would never know.

Had it not been for Han Li's extreme wisdom and perseverance, he wouldn't have been able to continue.

As such, his diligent cultivation continued inside the spatial pocket for two hundred years. Eventually, his cultivation succeeded and the Essensefused Mountain was completely refined. He was able to take it into his body as a precious treasure.

It was now that things finally began to go smoothly.

Han Li found an appropriate opportunity to take the Devil Essence PIlls and other spirit medicines. With the additional assistance of the peak grade spirit stones and five glacial flames, he succeeded in breaking through to the Deity Transformation stage.

Now that he was a Deity Transformation cultivator, Han Li was able to manipulate worldly origin Qi, commanding wind and rain. His abilities were now on part with an Immortal god from the secular world. It could be said, he has completely elevated his existence.

Han Li was overcome with joy and immediately departed from the valley, making his way to the Scattered Star Seas.

He discovered Nangong Wan and his disciples were safe and sound. His disciples even developed a significant faction in the Scattered Star Seas, directly controlling several tens of the nearby cultivator islands.

Nevertheless, he didn't hold much of a strong opinion on this and remained neutral on the matter.

When Nangong Wang and his disciples saw that he truly entered Deity Transformation stage,

At that moment, with the aid of the large quantities of medicine pills Han Li left for her, Nangong Wan had already entered late-Nascent Soul stage. For the time being, she was strenuously cultivating so that she may one day reach the peak of late-stage and break through as well.

Shi Jian was also a person possessing exceeding aptitude. After several hundred years, he also succeeded in condensing a Nascent Soul, much to Han Li's joy.

However, there was also misfortune during this time. Since Mu Peiling's lifespan was approaching the end, she was in a rush to breakthrough to Nascent Soul-stage. As a result, her state of mind entering seclusion was unstable and her inner demons caused her death through a backlash of magic power.

When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat saddened.

In preparation for her breakthrough to Nascent Soul stage, he also gifted her supplementary medicine made from the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, but her fate can only be said to be the will of the heavens.

As she was his in-name concubine, Han Li naturally paid a visit to her grave.

At that moment, Han Li arrived back on the main island and properly accompanied Nangong Wan for well over a decade before returning to the Heavenly South to continue his cultivation.

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Before his departure, Han Li brought Shi Jian back to the Heavenly South, so he could go to the Far West and fight for leadership for the Thousand Bamboo School.

As Han Li had already told Shi Jian about inheriting the legacy of Monarch Soul Divergence, he naturally didn't object to the matter.

When they arrived back at the Heavenly South, Shi Jian left for the Far West of his own accord.

With his current cultivation, it was a trivial matter to take ahold of the Thousand Bamboo School. Han Li also had no worries about this.

As soon as Han Li returned to Devilfall Valley, he immediately resumed his cultivation. Because of the three transplant techniques that Feng Xi had given him, the spirit medicines that were originally restrained in the spatial pocket could now be taken outside. With this, the Fuchsia Cloud Pill no longer had any restrictions for its refinement.

Although the Fuchsia Cloud Pill was a medicine pill for Nascent Soul cultivators, it had overbearing medicinal strength and was quite useful for Deity Transformation cultivators as well.

With this medicine pill freely refined, the originally difficult cultivation of early-Deity Transformation stage passed by quickly.

After a hundred years of bitter cultivation, he reached the peak of early-stage and reached the final stage of the Azure Essence Sword Art, fulfilling it to grand completion.

At this point, taking any further Fuschia Cloud Pills no longer had an effect. And since the spiritual Qi in the mortal world was too sparse, it was impossible for him to enter mid-Deity Transformation stage.

As such, he had no qualms about leaving seclusion.

During his time in seclusion, he encountered several bottlenecks in his cultivation and used the Myriad Distance Talismans to contact that old eccentric Xiang Zhili many times. He also began to divulge some of the information that Silvermoon had left behind for him.

As a result, after countless years of persistent searching, Xiang Zhili finally found a usable spatial node.

This caused the old Deity Transformation cultivators to rejoice. Han Li joined in their celebrations upon hearing the news as well.

As a result, Xiang Zhili, Old Eccentric Feng, Old Devil Hu, and Old Demon Che joined together in a hundred years of preparation and entered the spatial node.

But not long after, three of the four primal soul lanterns that were left behind were soon extinguished. And the one belonging to Old Devil Hu was still lit but it was extremely dim.

Several days later, his primal soul lantern was extinguished as well.

It was unknown if the old devil managed to successfully ascend to the spirit realm, severing its connection to the lantern, or if it dropped into the spatial node.

Eventually, Han Li was informed by a Myriad Distance Talisman of this news the the disciples of these great cultivators. He was completely shocked.

It appeared the danger of these spatial nodes was greater than what he expected. Even with their vast ability, the Deity Transformation cultivators were completely wiped out.

This left him ill at ease.

It appeared Silvermoon's warning over the dangers of the spatial nodes weren't exaggerated. It truly was a path that would kill most who go through it.

Fortunately, Xiang Zhili also kept his promise and had already given him the location of the spatial node. Han Li didn't have to worry about finding it.

As of current, since he wasn't able to progress his cultivation even an iota further, he planned on taking a look at the spatial node and making full preparations.

After all, the more prepared he was, the greater his odds of successfully making it through.

The information passed through the Myriad Distance Talisman wasn't something he could rely on.

However, the spatial node wasn't located in the Great Jin, Heavenly South, or anywhere else he had been. It was in an unfamiliar territory called the Five Dragon Seas.

This was the place in the Great Jin that rarely anyone knew, but Xiang Zhili and the other old eccentrics managed to find a teleportation formation that led directly to the area. He would have to first go to the Great Jin to use this formation.

As this journey would take quite a long time, he decided he would first pay another visit to the Scattered Star Seas.

Having come to a decision, Han Li left behind his puppet to guard the spatial pocket and left Devilfall Valley.

On a small island with beautiful scenery, there were several Nascent Soul cultivators gathered together on a stone pavilion on top of a mountain. There were having a lively discussion.

A white-haired old man wearing wide grey robes twirled his beard and smiled at a green-robed woman sitting across from him, "Fairy Bi, I heard you refined a Sweet Fragrance Pill, a top-grade pill that can cleanse one's essence. Do you think I could ask for some of them?"

Before the fair lady could reply, a middle-aged blue-robed cultivator laughed and said, "Brother Kan must be joking! Everyone knows of your skill in pill refinement. Why would you care for a few Sweet Fragrance Pills? Rather, I will trade for a few of them on behalf of my disciples."

The old man took no offense, rather answering him with a beaming smile, "Fellow Daoist Zhao is mistaken! My mastery in medicine pills is only towards cultivation progression. Pills with regards to advancing magic power are beyond my expertise. Now that a seldom opportunity to acquire some has arrived, I must take it."

The green-robed woman spoke with a gentle tone, more expected from that of a sheltered noblewoman, "There is no need to fight one another for them. We can participate in an exchange. I've brought most of the Sweet Fragrance Pills with me, enough for the both of you. Please bring out what you wish to trade for them. I hope you won't disappoint me."

The old man and the scholarly man both inwardly sighed and politely replied.

These cultivators were holding a small-scale trade meeting.

There were two more people sitting down that have yet to speak. When they saw this, they couldn't help but smile. One of them was a large yellow-skinned man who put a golden wooden box on the table. He pushed it to the center and solemnly stared at the old man. "This is something that I, Fan, and Fellow Daoist Sun used our strength to collect. I will exchange it for two of Brother Kan's Wyrmshift Pills. Only with these pills can my Swift Wind Python evolve into a wyrm."

The old man appeared displeased and shook his head, "You hadn't mentioned it during the last trade. I will not let them go. I also need them for my own Green Spirit Serpent."

The cultivator surnamed Fan smiled and confidently said, "Hehe, don't refuse so quickly. You can give me an answer after you take a look."

The old man felt his heart throb, but he relented, saying, "Apart from the Azure Spirit Mushroom and other such materials, I won't be agreeing no matter how previous the box's materials may be." He then waved his hand and summoned the box into his hand.

He opened it to find a blue glistening pearl.

"A Thunder Whale's core!" The old man shouted in surprise.

The others were shocked and couldn't help but look in their direction.

Cultivator Fan grinned and said, "Brother Kan is quite experienced to recognize it at a glance. It truly is the demon core of a grade-seven Thunder Whale. Although it is only a grade seven demon beast, it is incredibly rare. It is something Brother Sun and I pursued for three entire days. How do you feel about trading for it now?"

The old man stared at the box in his hand with longing, but the Wyrmshift Pills were something he also had great use for.

He hesitated for a time.

"The demon core of a Thunder Whale is quite rare. Do you think you could let me have a look at it?"

Suddenly, a man's calm voice sounded from outside. None of the cultivators recognized it.

"Who is it?" Startled, the cultivators all looked outside.

It was unknown when he arrived, but an azure-robed man had appeared outside the pavilion. He appeared young and had a common face, but an exceptional intelligence shined from his eyes.

The cultivators in the pavilion couldn't help but take a look at one another.

None of them recognized this man. And while the pavilion didn't appear out of the ordinary, it was concealed with restrictions. How could this unfamiliar man find them? And the reason why none of them turned hostile was that, at a glance, they couldn't detect a trace of magic power from his body. But since it was impossible for a mortal to be here, then...

Cultivator Fan hesitated and cautiously asked, "May I ask for your esteemed self..."

The youth saluted them, "It's nothing. I only came here for directions. If I am bothering you I hope you won't take offense."

Of course, this was Han Li who now found himself in the Five Dragon Seas.

Han Li found this place unfamiliar and need to find the lay of the land. He needed to buy a map.

Although the illusion restrictions as of present were uncommon, they couldn't escape his Brightsight Spirit Eyes. As such, when he spotted a gathering of high-grade cultivators, he promptly descended.

"Directions?" Cultivator Fan asked with doubt of his face.

"Fellow Daoist, if any of you have maps of the nearby area, it would be great." Han Li spoke casually and then glanced at the box and smiled, "Ah yes, the Thunder Whale's demon core may look intact, but its demonic power has already scattered. Even if you use it to make medicine, it wouldn't be very useful."

"Is this true?"

"What nonsense are you saying!"

The old man was startled, but Cultivator Fan's expression changed to that of fury.

"Whether you trust my words is up for you to decide. It's merely something I said in passing. However, if you are willing to sell me a map, I can answer several of your questions. I am also willing to present a Thunder Whale's demon core as a gift. Although its grade is lower, it will have more medical potency.

Han Li took out a sparkling blue pearl that was clearly bigger than the one that was brought out before.

The cultivators in the pavilion were absolutely dumbstruck and odd expressions all appeared on their faces. There were a few with bright eyes and others wore disbelief as they all stared at Han Li's face.

Cultivator Fan finally looked away from the demon core in his hand and shouted with a harsh expression, "May as I ask where you have come from? Have you come here to amuse yourself?"

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