Автор: sergey

The square-faced cultivator happily said, With Seventh Uncle and Third Brother, we will have two great powers assisting us in acquiring the treasure. And with all of our clans internal disciples and the external cultivators weve hired, we will be able to contest against the ten great sects of the Righteous and Devilish Dao. Our expedition to Nanjiang will have great hopes for success.

The eccentric slowly said, Ill only be lending my strength and nothing more. Whether or not the Ye Clan will be able to escape the control of the Righteous and Devilish Dao will be up to you lot.

The square-faced man and the old Daoist nun both rejoiced upon hearing this and uttered humble words. Afterwards, the elders of the greatest clan in the Jin Empire schemed for half a day more before departing from the hall.

…

In a hidden room in the chambers of the Imperial City, the huge figure of a two-headed four-armed devil was shrouded in pitch-black devilish Qi with purple-black light twinkling from his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, the devil eventually shouted, and the Qi surrounding him coiled as it rushed into his body like streams to the ocean. His body crackled in great succession as he held his arms in an incantation gesture and his body assumed the form of an ordinary youth with a face that resembled Han Li.

This was the Elder Devil that had concealed itself inside the Ye Clan.

The devil spoke with a sneer, Not bad, Ive mostly recovered from my injuries. So long as I dont encounter any of those ancient eccentrics, none will be able to cope against me in the Great Jin. Those Ye Clan members should soon take action, and with my familiarity with ancient matters, they will certainly bring me along. When Im there, hehe…

…

In the Yin Sifting Sects secret cave outside the Jin Capital, Ge Tianhao said to the Endless Sky Saintess, Ive already acquired information that the Nine Serenities Sects Fu Cheng has appeared in Nanjiang. Were it not for a tip we received, we wouldnt have known that he had joined the underground trade meet with that wretch surnamed Han. It is possible that he is accompanying Fu Cheng. Since our sects grand elder has matters to attend to in the area, he will be making a trip in passing and will personally deal with this Han fellow if he manages to discover him. Is Fellow Daoist Lin interested in going?

Fu Cheng? The Endless Sky Saintess Lin Yinping shook her head, His appearance doesnt mean that Han fellow is also there. Ive also received news that a squadron led by Grand Immortal Xu has been sent into the Great Jin and will soon meet me at the Jin Capital. I will have to stay behind for a while. If we still havent found any concrete information, Ill bring the group to Nanjiang.

Ge Tianhao paused with surprise and then happily said, Fellow Daoist Xu has also come? This is great news. The grand elder will be happy to hear this. Then how about I wait with you and meet with them together? After all, the grand elder had instructed me to accompany you at all times.

The Endless Sky Saintess nodded with a smile. Then, something came to mind and she frowned, Hm, hasnt that Han fellow appeared on the coast where three small sects had taken him in as a guest elder? Have you spies acquired any information on the matter?

Weve found nothing, that person is truly cunning. Apart from helping them with a single affair, he hadnt made an appearance ever since. While Ive heard this person has a relationship with the Heavenly Talisman Sect, it was merely a passing friendship. Id reckon he wouldnt bat an eye if the three sects were destroyed.

Thats true. How could he care about the survival of those sects given that he originated from the Heavenly South? In any case, before I arrived in the Great Jin, Ive already sent spies to find out this persons true identity. There should be information on him now that so much time had passed. We can ask about it when Grand Immortal Xu arrives, so well be better prepared the next time we deal with him.

With a moved voice, Ge Tianhao said, If you can truly acquire information on him and his techniques, he will be far easier to deal with. Do you know specifically when Immortal Xu will arrive?

Recalling the matter of the sacred beast, she resentfully said, Around two to three months. With both Immortal Xu and your sects grand elder, he wont be able to run this time.

Ge Tianhaos heart stirred when he heard this. Although the woman said that they were pursuing Han Li because he killed many Soaring Tribes cultivators, this person had the abilities that could match a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. The Endless Sky Saintess couldnt possibly spend so many resources solely for the sake of revenge.

After all, people who were dead do not come back, neither was it wise to continue provoking a fearsome existence as this cultivator sunamed Han. She was certain to have another reason why she remained the Great Jin for so many years. It appeared he would have to find out what their secret was.

As Ge Tianhao schemed, he betrayed none of this on his face.

The Endless Sky Saintess wasnt nearly as calm as her appearance had suggested as well. She didnt know how much longer she could conceal the disappearance of the holy beasts incarnation. During these years, she hadnt taken the initiative to contact the higher realms even once.

Fortunately, as the holy beasts incarnation was only restrained, its true body had remained ignorant of what had happened, but she would have to rescue it before this went on any longer. When they move to recover it, she could only hope to exploit the Yin Sifting Sect cultivators as much as she could and prevent heavier losses towards her own.

With that in mind, she resolved herself.

…

In an area bordering Nanjiang and another province, there was a smiling old man that was travelling using body lightening techniques. He was eloquently speaking to his younger Qi Condensation sect members that had journeyed out for the first time and was thoroughly entertaining them.

If Han Li was there and saw the sly look on the old mans face, he would feel his heart jump. He was Xiang Zhili who he suspected of being a Deity Transformation cultivator.

After Han Li left the Heavenly Talisman Sect, the old man had made an inexplicable disappearance before the upper echelon of the sect could investigate it. This had actually startled the Heavenly Talisman Sect and caused them to suspect it was Han Lis doing. Afterwards, the sect erased Xiang Zhilis existence from the records and any mention of him was forbidden. It was rather mysterious that he would appear now after so many years had passed.

The Heavenly Talisman Sect werent the only ones on edge though. There were countless significant powers in the Great Jin that felt there were storms brewing underneath the peaceful appearance of the cultivation world. A few particularly powerful sects even looked into the Great Jins Imperial Ye Clan, but they werent able to find anything concrete. They only found that their upper echelon had started to frequently gather, yet they didnt know what they were planning.

…

Several months later, a cheerful whistle was let loose from the Silver Serpent Mountains, echoing far beyond the sky. A blinding azure streak flew out from underground and blazed through the air before disappearing off into the horizon.

The cultivators who saw the astonishing scene from a distance were shocked silent.

A week later, the azure streak flew west, passing through the largest forest in the region and thousand-kilometer mountain ranges. Soon, it arrived above a huge basin and dropped down to the side of a mist of toxic yellow miasma that had reached several kilometers in the air.

Just as Han Li landed, an old man stood up from the group of nearby sitting cultivators and smiled, Fellow Daoist Han, youre a bit late. Fellow Daoists Bai and Yuan have already arrived several days ago.

Han Li saluted them and said, I was refining a magic tool and had just completed it a few days ago. I hope you wont take offense.

Bai Yaoyi examined Han Li and softly said, It is no matter. The Yin winds will be weakened over a period of three months. A few days wont matter much. Since Fellow Daoist Han has hurried over here after refining his magic tool, how about he take a couple days to rest and recover his magic power?

Old Man Fu grunted and said, Fellow Daoist Bai is correct. Since were to enter the Yin Yang Cave, we need to preserve enough magic power before entering.

The towering man surnamed Yuan and Old Man Fus Junior Martial Sister Chang hadnt spoken, but they both appeared to silently agree.

Very well, it seems that it would be rude of me to refuse. Well enter the valley after a few days of rest. Han Li nodded and glanced at the yellow miasma a few hundred meters away from them. It faintly concealed the black entrance to the valley.

With a flip of his hand, he summoned a twinkling green mid-grade wood spirit stone. Then, he sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes.

Although the others were full of magic power, they rested as well, honing their spirits to an optimal state.

After two days quickly passed, Han Li stirred and Old Man Fu promptly shouted, We set off! The group then stood up and surrounded themselves in barriers of light.

With my poison warding scepter, the Myriad Poison Valley will be easily traversed. However, be careful of the small venomous insects in the mists. Do not allow them to cut through your protective light. If it werent for the unknown restrictions that were placed on the valley during ancient times, it wouldve been safer to fly in. With that said, Cultivator Yuan summoned a jade scepter glowing in silver light before heading into the poisonous miasma.

The others followed suit.

Cultivator Yuan pointed his scepter at the edge of the mist and uttered an incantation. Then a silver wave shot out towards the mist, pushing it away and greatly thinning it out.

The large man then used a body lightening technique before rushing in, with the others employing their own techniques to charge into the valley.

When Old Man Fu heard his Junior Martial Sister, he hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded after some thought. Since the Underworld River Page has no effect on Fellow Daoist Han, I wont force the matter. But I will have to place a marker on your body. It will disappear of its own accord in half a year if you remain in Nanjiang, and I hope Fellow Daoist Han wont force me to take action!

Han Li smiled and immediately replied, Go ahead, Fellow Daoist Fu. I dont care to hide my whereabouts.

With that, Old Man Fu grasped one of his hands in a gesture and released a blue light after an incantation was muttered.

Han Li attentively watched him and saw that he was only using a common imprinting spell seal. As such, he raised his hand and allowed the blue light to strike him before disappearing without a trace.

Old Man Fu appeared satisfied and put away the Underworld River Page. Then he said, Ive already finished telling you all about the affair. Since Fellow Daoist Bai still needs three days to consider the matter, my Junior Martial Sister and I will remain here in the meantime. Brother Yuan and Fellow Daoist Han may depart and begin their preparations. Although the entrance to the Yin Yang Cave is covered in many poisonous plants that shouldnt pose too much of a threat to us, I hope that Fellow Daoist Yuan will bring poison warding treasures with him. Itd be best that we dont waste any magic power before we enter.

Only that much? Cultivator Yuan chuckled, To those of us at the Sacred Poison Sect, warding poison is an extremely easy matter. Please leave it to me. Now then, Ill be departing first. He cupped his hands in a salute and slapped his storage pouch to release a huge tortoise. Then, he took to the skies, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake.

Han Li followed suit and bid farewell before streaking through the sky in azure light.

Half a year was a bit short, but he might have just enough time to complete the Triflame Fan. As for preparing any ghost warding treasures, there was no point as he already had the Divine Devilbane Lightning and the Weeping Soul Beast.

Of course, he wanted to quickly refine the fan in case they encountered any unforeseen danger. With both the fan and the human-like puppet in his possession, he would be free of worries.

With that in mind, Han Li flew off towards the Silver Serpent Mountains at the center of Nanjiang.

Ten days later, Han Li appeared above a peculiar mountain range. The mountains only spanned for a couple hundred kilometers, but it was rather slender and winding like a huge serpent. The mountains were filled with verdant trees with many strange ones that grew faintly silver leaves. It appeared the name of these mountains were well deserved.

Han Li quickly passed by the other areas and directly few towards the top of the Silver Serpent Mountains.

Before he grew closer, he could already feel waves of hot wind strike his face along with the pungent scent of sulfur. Soon, several flaming and malformed volcanoes appeared before him. They would occasionally rumble and release grey ash into the air, creating a fear-invoking scene to a lesser existence.

Even with this activity, there were streaks of various-colored light passing nearby. Several tens of cultivators were darting in between these volcanoes. Most of them were at Foundation Establishment with a few Core Formation ones mixed among them.

This was to be expected. Core Formation cultivators usually used their own core flames to temper their own magic treasure and had little other reason to come to a place like this, even more so with regards to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Han Li stopped in the sky and looked down below. As blue light flashed from his eyes, he looked down at the fire veins and swept his spiritual sense through the ground.

Shortly after, Han Li found the area with the strongest fire vein and arrived between two of the volcanoes in a streak of light.

He came to a stop when he was three meters above the area. Then, he flung his sleeve and released eight small golden swords. As they circled around him, he formed an incantation gesture and shortly shouted, invoking a ring from the swords. Brightly glowing with light, they fiercely cut down into the ground as ten-meter-long streaks. Suddenly, a series of eruptions sounded out from below as blinding golden light flared.

The swordlights returned from their attack and circled back around him. He had created a sixty-meter-wide crevice deep into the earth.

The cultivators refining magic tools in the nearby areas naturally took notice of Han Lis alarming actions. There were even a few of them who flew over in curiosity.

Han Li grew sullen at this turn of events and released the immense aura of his cultivation, sweeping his surroundings with a suffocating spiritual pressure.

All of the cultivators in the nearby ten kilometers who felt this were alarmed and those who originally thought to investigate the commotion hastily withdrew. A few of the nearby cultivators that were busying themselves with tool refinement had now scattered, afraid of unintentionally angering this great Senior and bringing about their own destruction.

When Han Li saw that the nearby cultivators had tacitly departed, he was greatly satisfied and turned his attention to the crevice down below.

Soon, the cultivators that came to Silver Serpent Mountain to refine their magic tools had all scurried off knowing that there was a Nascent Soul-grade cultivator nearby, turning a five kilometer area around Han Li into a temporary restricted area.

As time passed by, the crevice was silent with no activity, but after a month, the sounds of thunderous explosions would occasionally call out. These explosions grew more sparse after another month passed by, but they were instead replaced with a series of clear rings similar to a phoenixs cry. Soon after, all that was left was silence.

While Han Li was busying himself with creating the Triflame Fan, there were a dozen variously-dressed cultivators gathered together in a side chamber of the Great Jins Imperial Palace, including those dressed in Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian attire. These cultivators all possessed Nascent Soul cultivation. Two in particular possessed mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, a square-faced cultivator and an old Daoist Nun holding a golden cane. The old man with a black hat was amongst them as well.

These dozen people were all sitting in the hall but none had uttered a word. They would only impatiently look at the halls door.

The square-faced cultivator turned to a white-haired Daoist priest and asked with a trace of apprehension, Eleventh brother, are you sure it is him? Three hundred years ago, I personally saw our Seventh Uncle perish.

Given how unique Seventh Uncles appearance is, how could I have mistaken him or his magic treasure, the Glacial Moon Blade?

The old Daoist Nun gloomily asked, Second Brother, there is no need to be nervous. It will only be a moment before we know for certain. What is there to fear now that weve all gathered. If he is truly our Seventh Uncle, then he will be of tremendous help to our Ye Clan. If he is fake, then he wont be setting foot outside of this hall even if he were a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Thats true, but we may as well be careful. The square-faced cultivator felt that her words were reasonable and sighed, speaking no further.

After two hours had passed, the sounds of bell rings sounded from a distance. A lanky silhouette then appeared at the halls entrance. He took a step forward in the air before strangely arriving at the center of the hall.

His appearance was clear to see. He had fine eyes and withering eyebrows, but more notably his head that was far larger than what was considered ordinary and his swaying neck that appeared to be on the verge of snapping at any moment.

When the cultivators all saw this peculiar appearance, they all stood up in shock. The square-faced cultivator took a deep breath and carefully asked, Are you truly our Seventh Uncle?

The eccentric chuckled and tossed a green jade slip towards him. Second Nephew, have you already forgotten me after a few hundred years? However, this is not surprising. My return from death is sure to raise doubts. I have Third Nephews sound transmission slip here. Take a look. The eccentric chuckled.

The square-faced cultivator caught the jade slip with an alarmed expression and quickly sank his spiritual sense into it.

After a long while, his expression fluctuated several times before withdrawing his spiritual sense. Then with an expression of joy, he deeply saluted the eccentric and said, So Seventh Uncles death was something that our grand elder had orchestrated. Forgive me, I have been lacking in manners.

The uncle waved his hand and said, I am happy that you acted with such care. How could I blame you?

The other cultivators then began to look through the jade slip and soon, all of them called out to him with delight and paid their respects.

It truly is Seventh Uncle!

I pay my respects to my third Great Uncle!

The eccentric waved his hand with a chuckle and took the main seat in the hall. You may stop.

The old Daoist Nun respectfully replied, Third Brother stated that two hundred years ago, Seventh Uncle had entered late-Nascent Soul stage. Is this true?

That is correct. In the past, those great sects were secretly plotting to strike me down, feeling that it was possible for me to enter it. As per the clans arrangements, I fled after escaping calamity and managed to somehow live up to my expectations and ascended to this stage of cultivation. The last generation of Ye Clan Elders had schemed for me to make an appearance when our clan was on the verge of death. But Third Nephew, who was the only one who knew of my existence, suddenly came to find me, and told me about your plans. As the grand elder of the current generation, he asked me to assist in this matter. I considered it for a while and felt that it was important enough for me to break my concealment. The eccentrics face turned serious.

After Old Man Fu declared that he had found the whereabouts of the Umbra Yin Horse, a moment of silence passed. Cultivator Yuan then asked, Since Fellow Daoist has already found the nest of the Umbra Yin Horse and still needs our assistance, could it be that youve encountered a problem?

Old Man Fu replied, Although the horse is extremely skilled in concealment techniques and leaves no tracks as it travels, it isnt too difficult for me to capture given enough time. But the problem is that its nest lies in the Myriad Poisons Valleys Yin Yang Cave. I cannot chase after it there, and with its exceptional intelligence, the horse will only journey to the caves entrance at most and wont take even a step out.

The Yin Yang Cave? Bai Yaoyis complexion paled and Cultivator Yuan gasped as well.

Having never heard of this place, Han Li bafflingly asked, What is this Yin Yang Cave? Is it so fearsome?

Fellow Daoist Han doesnt know of the Yin Yang Cave? Bai Yaoyi yelped in surprise and then she said with calmer voice, Ah, Ive nearly forgotten that you were from overseas. The Yin Yang Cave is widely known as one of the seven most dangerous places in the Great Jin. Common cultivators do not return once they enter.

What is so dangerous about it? Han Li curiously asked.

Old Man Fu explained, As suggested from its name, it is a place where Yin and Yang clash. Let alone everything else, the soul-chilling Yin winds that blow yearlong are enough to scatter a Nascent Soul. The cave is also host to several kinds of vicious ghosts. Even if a living person is able to endure the Yin winds after entering the cave, the ghosts will devour them.

Cultivator Yuan snorted and said, Not just that but several kilometers deep, there are countless chains of intertwining passages and caves. There were even cultivators that have somehow managed to make it to the bottom, but were unable to clearly explore the depths. The Yin winds would obstruct them from releasing their spiritual sense, and they could see no more than an ordinary mortal. There were even those that said the depths of the cave conceal a fearsome ghost monarch. However, this had forever remained unconfirmed as most are unwilling to brave the risks.

Bai Yaoyi relaxed her brow and added, There is also little of value that was discovered in the cave. In ancient times, it was the location of extremely rare ores, but only inferior veins remain. Now that Brother Fu has discovered an Umbra Yin Horse, it would appear that the Yin Yang Cave isnt such a simple place.

Having passed through Heavenvoid Hall, Devilfall Valley and other such dangerous places, Han Li naturally experienced many of these dangers and he icily said, Since Brother Fu wasnt able to capture it after so many years, there must be some complications behind it.

Old Man Fu confidently explained, Correct, that is why Ive been preparing for the past tens of years. I specifically refined several treasures to resist these ghosts. And to block to soul-scouring Yin winds, Ive brought my sects Dark Violet Pearls. With this, youll be able to weaken the Yin winds to half of their power.

Cultivator Yuan and Bai Yaoyis heart stirred when they heard this. The Dark Violet Pearl was one of the three signature treasures of the Nine Serenities Sect!

Old Man Fu slowly asked, How about it? If you do your best to assist me and manage to capture the Umbra Yin Horse, I will immediately use it to refine the Nascent Cultivating Pill and I guarantee you each a single pill. As the pill is something that can only affect your body once, it will have the same effect no matter how many you take. For anything else you might find inside, that would be left up to chance. Even if we encounter a fearsome ghost monarch within, well be able to deal with it well enough with our combined strength.

The three were silent when they heard this. Even Cultivator Yuan, the most excited of them, wore a pensive expression.

Bai Yaoyi moved a strand of hair from her face and calmly asked, Since Brother Fu has already made such preparations, why did you seek us out? If you wanted mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, it shouldnt be hard to find them in your Nine Serenities Sect.

When the other two heard this, their expressions stirred. Cultivator Yuan in particular closely stared at Old Man Fus face.

A fierce look appeared on the old mans face and he angrily said, This might be true for others but not to me. Because of grievances in the past, Ive become hostile with most similar-grade cultivators in my sect. Apart from my Junior Martial Sister Chang, the rest are looking forward to the day I die. Even if they agreed to help, I fear they would be waiting for opportunity to betray me.

Han Li was stunned by how empty these words were. Who could tell if they were true? However, since hes said this, it would be difficult to further pursue the matter and they could only remain silent.

Bai Yaoyi lowered her head in thought. Then, she raised her head and said, Given how dangerous it is to enter the Yin Yang Cave, I must properly think about it. Can you give me three days to come to a decision?

Of course. We wont even begin until half a year regardless. We must first wait for the twenty-year cycle when the Yin winds are weakest in the cave, and you should also prepare treasures to deal with the ghosts beforehand. But before we depart today, I will require you all to sign this Underworld River Page with your blood essence, swearing a venomous oath that you cannot mention this to any other. I am a coward first and foremost and a gentleman later. I dont want this matter attracting any attention down the line. Old Man Fu smiled and with a wave of his sleeve, a piece of yellow paper appeared in a flourish of black flames.

An Underworld River Page? Cultivator Yuan cried out in alarm, The wicked tool used to befall calamity on those who break their oaths. Hadnt it disappeared several hundred years ago?

When Han Li heard this, he felt shocked.

Old Man Fu indifferently replied, I had to spend quite a sum in the underground market to acquire this. While it isnt nearly as outrageous as legends swear, it can at least keep you quiet for a short time. Fellow Daoist Han might not know of the death of the Heavenly Devil Sects Feng Tianxing, but Fellow Daoists Bai and Yuan should know. Feng Tianxing was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator like us and I hope that none of you would wish to test its effectiveness.

Cultivator Yuans expression wavered for a long while, and then he decisively said, Fine, I wont let something as valuable as a Nascent Cultivating Pill pass me by. In half a year, I will arrive on schedule. Afterwards, he summoned the flaming black page a meter in front of him with a wave of his hand. He then spat out a cloud of blood essence next to it.

He dipped his finger in the blood essence and quickly wrote a few ancient characters on the page. Shortly after, a malevolent ghost face emerged from the black flames and wickedly smiled at the large man. Then, it sucked the bloody characters on the page into its mouth before disappearing into smoke.

The strange scene caused Han Lis heart to thump.

Old Man Fu recalled the page and examined it for a moment before revealing a satisfied expression. Then, he turned his gaze to Bai Yaoyi.

The woman shortly hesitated before resigning herself and summoned the page towards her. Following the same events, the ghost head also made a strange and abrupt appearance.

When Old Man Fu turned his sights on Han Li, he inwardly sighed. Although he felt a trace of fear towards this item, it appeared he didnt have a choice over the matter.

He expressionlessly pointed at the page and summoned it. After staring at it, he bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a cloud of blood essence. He quickly wrote down that he swore not to divulge the details of the days meeting and in a flash of crimson light, the ghost face appeared once more from the black flames.

It sinisterly smiled and when it opened its mouth, but something suddenly stirred inside of Han Li and it let out a strange cry. Although the sound wasnt loud, all the nearby cultivators could clearly hear it.

While the others didnt react when they heard this, the ghost face suddenly warped and it let out a howl before disappearing in a panic.

Old Man Fu and the others were all dumbstruck by the sight.

Han Li wore an odd look on his face and sighed. He swept away the page and said, There is no need for me to consider anything, and will arrive as scheduled. But it appears that there is something about me that is able to restrain this page so I am incapable of writing down an oath.

However, I am only a vagrant cultivator and wont be departing from Nanjiang in the coming six months, nor will I tell anybody else of this matter.

Han Li had swept back the page to Old Man Fu in a wave of azure light.

He grabbed the page, still wearing an astonished expression, and appeared to be at a loss. Apart from the Underworld River Page, he had no other method of keeping Han Li quiet on the matter.

Then, the black-clothed woman finally broke her silence, Senior Martial Brother Fu, I feel that Fellow Daoist Hans words are reasonable. Ill trust him to keep quiet.

The womans voice was somewhat hoarse, but it invoked an indescribable attraction. With a flutter of her bright eyes, it felt like she could bewitch someone with her beauty.

Following the new arrival, the three cultivators each tended to their own matters, not bothering to strike up any conversation.

It wasnt until half a month later when the miasma had mostly retreated that two more striking lights flew towards the mountain with practiced coordination.

The two streaks circled above and dropped down in the middle of the three to reveal the Nine Serenities Sect Elder Wei and a beautiful black-clothed woman with thick eyebrows and a solemn face.

While she remained silent and emotionless, Elder Wei looked at the three with a happy bearing and said, You three have honored me with your timely arrival. I was originally making preparations in case any of you were missing, but it seems it wasnt necessary.

The large man coldly smiled and bluntly said, Although I have come, I am currently in a crucial point in overcoming my bottleneck. If Brother Fus affairs disinterest me, I will immediately leave.

Dont worry, Brother Yuan! You should know that I speak truly since Ive requested Fellow Daoists Han and Bai to come as well. Ah, but before that, an introduction is due. This is my Junior Martial Sister Chang Zhifang, the Nine Serenities Sects internal affairs elder. Since youve stemmed from the Nanjiangs Sacred Poison Sect, well especially need the assistance of a native like yourself, Brother Yuan. As for Fellow Daoist Han, he possesses astonishing abilities and is a vagrant cultivator from overseas. Fellow Daoist Bai is… Old Man Fu then proceeded to give a quick introduction of one another.

When the others heard Old Man Fu mention that Han Li possessed astonishing abilities, Cultivator Yuan and Bai Yaoyi both looked at him with a trace of surprise.

Han Li frowned when he heard this and said, Fellow Daoist Fu is overpraising me. My cultivation is rather average. Where have you heard of my said astonishing abilities?

With a deep tone, Old Man Fu deeply said, There is no need to hide it. Not only have you killed the Old Man Xiao in the Jin Capital, but after the trade meet, did you not also kill the illustrious Monk Wickedfire? Given your vast cultivation, what is there to say?

Monk Wickedfire was killed by Fellow Daoist Han? Cultivator Yuan suddenly looked at Han Li with a vastly changed expression. Bai Yaoyi also revealed shock. Only the black-clothed woman appeared indifferent as if she already knew beforehand.

Han Li bitterly chuckled and said with a helpless tone, Brother Fu must be mistaken. While I did kill an unknown early-Nascent Soul cultivator in the Jin Capital, the one who killed this Monk Wickedfire was another cultivator. Do you believe that a vagrant like myself could possess such heaven-defying abilities?

Another cultivator? I heard that there were two similar faced cultivators that fought against Monk Wickedfire. Could it be that it truly wasnt you? Old Man Fus expression relaxed but he spoke with a tone of doubt.

Han Li rubbed his chin and said, Brother Fu truly overestimates me. If I have the power to kill a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator in an instant, why would I need to avoid the Yin Sifting Sect? I could boldly leave and none would dare to block me.

Regardless, that Old Man Xiao was exceptionally cunning and was skilled in several evasion techniques. Being able to kill him already displays exceptional abilities. In any case, do you recognize the cultivator that killed Monk Wickedfire? Tch tch, the sudden appearance of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator can surely only mean that they come from overseas. Old Man Fu asked with a greatly interested tone.

Han Li shook his head and calmly said, The cultivator who killed Monk Wickedfire only had the same face as me. We dont have the slightest relationship.

What a pity. If we were able to find him, our odds of success would be even greater. With that said, Old Man Fu dryly laughed and dropped the topic.

Cultivator Yuan then asked, I also heard that a two-headed and four-armed devil appeared near the underground trade meet on the last day. It devoured several early-Nascent Soul cultivators. Was it not for the great cultivator overseeing the trade meeting, the entire group wouldve been eliminated. Does Brother Han know of this matter?

Han Li answered, I dont, I was already far away when it happened.

Cultivator Yuan wore a doubtful expression when he heard this. freebovel.com

At that moment, Bai Yaoyi asked, Fellow Daoist Fu, how about you tell us about this appointment? I wouldnt have come to such a faraway place if it werent for that small favor I owed you.

Of course. However, since this matter is of great importance, itd be best that we take necessary precautions. Then, Old Man Fu flicked his fingers all around him and released a dozen streaks of green fire.

They ruptured into bursts of dark flame and faded away into mists of green light.

Han Li swept his spiritual sense past them and found the faint fluctuations of the restriction. Although he didnt know what kind he employed, the ease at which he set it up had caused his heart to tremble. He couldnt help but think higher of the old man.

Both Bai Yaoyi and Cultivator Yuan swept their spiritual sense past the restriction as well and they couldnt help but feel a trace of excitement at how seriously the old man was acting.

Old Man Fu let out a deep breath and solemnly said, In truth, Ive been preparing for this for over the last thirty years, and now a true opportunity has appeared. Have you Fellow Daoists ever heard of an ancient medicine known as the Nascent Cultivating Pill?

The Nascent Cultivating Pill? Bai Yaoyi and Cultivator Yuan both appeared at a loss, but when Han Li heard this name, his expression stirred.

When Cultivator Yuan saw this, he asked, Does Fellow Daoist Han know of the medicine pill?

After a moment of thought, Han Li elaborated, Yes, a little bit. The Nascent Cultivating Pill was an ancient sects signature spiritual medicine, and can be considered of divine quality. It was said that when the pill was taken, it would provide immense benefits to the Nascent Soul, allowing them to easily breakthrough bottlenecks. However, the sect wasnt able to endure the passage of time and the medicine pill formula was lost. Now, there are only a sparse few that know of the its existence. Were if not for the fact that Han Li was well researched in pill refinement and had read through many relevant ancient records, he would have no knowledge on this.

Both Cultivator Yuan and Bai Yaoyi showed delight. With much eager, Cultivator Yuan asked, Brother Wei, you mean to say you know the whereabouts of this pill?

It stands to mention that after a cultivator entered Nascent Soul stage, the number of medicines and methods to break through bottlenecks, even from those of ancient times, were reduced to nearly nothing. And if someone came into possession of one, they wouldnt dare to mention it even to their kin.

After so many years, such items from antiquity had mostly disappeared. Apart from the few heaven-defying items of legend, most Nascent Soul cultivators had to rely on cultivation advancement medicines to break through their bottlenecks. As a result, those present couldnt help but stir in excitement when they heard of the pills effects.

Old Man Fu chuckled with a proud expression. It surprises me that Han Li actually knows of the pill. Thats right though, I acquired the refinement formula for this pill over a hundred years ago.

Fellow Daoist actually has such a treasure? Cultivator Yuan knitted his hands together and his overwhelming excitement was betrayed from the slight red light blossoming over his dark face.

Both Han Li and Bao Yaoyi exchanged a similar glance of happiness.

Old Man Fu nodded. I am also proficient in pill refinement techniques. So long as I have all the materials, the refinement shouldnt prove to be a problem.

Han Li furrowed his brow and asked, From your tone, it seems you are lacking said materials.

Brother Han is quite sharp. Were it not for the fact that I was missing one of its main ingredients, I wouldve refined it years ago. It is for this reason that I wish for you to lend me your strength.

Bai Yaoyi frowned and said, Since you werent able to acquire it after so many years despite your position as a Nine Serenities Sect Elder, this item should be truly difficult to find.

Hard to find? Old Man Fu bitterly chuckled, This material should be extinct from this world. At the time, I believed the pill formula to be useless, but I didnt think Id find traces of it. As such, this caused me to write up plans.

Cultivator Yuan impatiently said, Alright, Brother Fu, please dont speak in circles. Quickly now, properly tell us what you require.

Old Man Fu calmly stated, The flesh of an Umbra Yin Horse.

In his alarm, Han Li narrowed his eyes and asked, An Umbra Yin Horse? Where did Fellow Daoist find such a thing?

When Bai Yaoyi and Cultivator Yuan heard this, they exchanged looks of dismay.

The old man chuckled and deeply said, I happened to found traces of it thirty years ago right here in Nanjiang.

After his outburst, Han Li felt the last trace of distress from Monarch Soul Divergences passing dissolve. In any case, since he planned on gathering the storms lightning, he didnt want any interruptions. With a long sigh, he slapped his storage pouch and took out various colored spell flags, sending them off in every direction with the wave of his hand, burrowing into the ground without a trace.

He looked at the unceasing lightning in the sky and the corner of his mouth twitched. His body glowed with light as he floated a hundred meters in the air. Forming a strange hand gesture, he began to mutter an incantation.

Suddenly, various-colored light flashed from down below. Muffled pops sounded out followed by several pillars of luminescence emerging to the sky and forming huge spell flags. They stood off the ground and remained completely motionless.

Continuing his incantations, the spell flags beneath him began to release threads of spiritual Qi and slowly took the form of a thirty-meter-wide spirit gathering spell formation.Within the brilliant glow, talisman characters began to rise from the center, fully activating it.

In that instant, the lightning flashing in the distant skies were suddenly attracted towards the formation and gradually grew closer as the sounds of thunder quickened.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and ceased casting incantations. He flipped his hand and summoned a slender jade bottle, a magic tool he had specifically refined to capture the lightning.

He released it into the air and struck it with an azure spell seal, causing it to quickly spin several times before it held still in the air.

At that moment, Han Li clapped his hands and raised them, releasing two dense bolts of golden lightning, both simultaneously striking the bottom of the jade bottle. In a clap of thunder, the bottle trembled and completely absorbed the lightning.

With a murmur, Han Li pointed at the air. Crackles sounded out as lightning arced from the bottle and formed a flickering ten-meter-tall pole pointing up into the dark sky. Silver lightning split the sky and struck the golden pole before it was dragged into the bottle.

This happened in great succession as more and more silver bolts struck down and was easily collected.

Two hours later, the bottle gathered another dense bolt and began to release the sounds of a rumbling storm.

When he heard this, he inwardly rejoiced. He raised his arm and reached out for the bottle, causing the golden pole to disappear and summoning the jade bottle into his hand.

He then flung his sleeve into the sky and produced another bottle of a similar appearance, repeating the process all over again.

With that done, he began to carefully examine the bottle that he recovered. It rumbled and trembled without end, flashing dazzling silver light from its mouth as if it could rupture at any moment.

Han Li slapped a golden talisman onto it, and the bottles activity came to a sudden halt. After properly placing the lid and putting it away, he turned his attention to the sky once more.

Half a day later, Han Li collected his fourth bottle, but the thunderstorm showed no signs of stopping. Rather, the rain only grew heavier.

He pondered to himself before putting away his fourth bottle. He believed he nearly collected enough lightning to create the heavenly flame he needed for the Triflame Fans materials.

But his expression stirred solemn and he suddenly turned to a corner of the sky. He faintly saw a flash, followed by the appearance of a white streak. rewebnovel.com

He knew that with the shining spell formation beneath him and the bolts of lightning wildly dancing above him, his position was extremely noticeable.

The white streak hurriedly shot in Han Lis direction. It stopped a hundred meters away and the light disappeared to reveal a woman in palace robes.

She had a slender stature and a dainty appearance with a pair of vivid eyes, seeming to be a beauty in the prime of her youth. Her robes were made of some sort of rare material that not only shined with silver light but also glowed dazzlingly.

Han Li swept his spiritual sense past her and discovered that this woman was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator much like himself.

She looked at him and sweetly smiled. She said with a soft, pleasant voice, I am North Night Islands Bai Yaoyi. Are you also here on business with Fellow Daoist Fu?

Han Lis heart trembled and he astoundingly asked, Are you a cultivator from the North Night Palace?

Bai Yaoyi chuckled, I am the North Night Palaces External Affairs Elder. Since we are located in a remote area, I am surprised that you know of it. May I ask for your esteemed name?

Han Li calmed down and answered, My surname is Han, a vagrant cultivator from overseas. I have indeed come to meet with Fellow Daoist Fu, though I have long heard of your palaces resounding reputation.

Bai Yaoyi stole an interested glance at Han Li and asked, Oh, does Fellow Daoist Han know or have a relationship with any of the three great overseas Immortals?

Ive never met them as Im not someone who often deal with others. I normally cultivate in seclusion on my island.

So it was like that, Ive been presumptuous. Does Fellow Daoist Han need any assistance in collecting lightning?

Many thanks for the offer, but I am about done. This will be the last bottle.

When Bai Yaoyi heard him, she flew a circle in the air and landed on another rock. Ah, then I will go ahead and rest as we wait.

She raised her hand and summoned an umbrella magic tool up into the sky. It swirled in the air before releasing a cloud of white light down below, blocking any rain from approaching her. Then, she calmly sat down and summoned a palm-sized object into her hand in a flash of cold light.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and immediately glanced at the item. It was as white as fresh snow and shined with sparkling glamour.

Ice Jade! He immediately recognized: the same myriad year ice jade from the bottle the Glacial Quintessence he acquired!

Using the plate of ice jade in her hands, she closed her eyes and sank deep into meditation.

It appeared that the womans cultivation art wasnt purely an ice attribute, but rather that of glacial Yin, else she wouldnt have needed to draw on the support of the jades glacial power. This would produce a somewhat similar result to Han Lis Snow Soul Pills, but it couldnt possibly compare to the effectiveness, no matter the quality of the jade.

Though Han Lis expression remained calm, he unconsciously grew wary of the woman.

Given how the North Night Palace would rather fight to the death against high-grade demon beasts every several generations than hand over some of their Glacial Quintessence, it was clear to see how much they valued it. If he allowed this woman to know he had her sects signature treasure on hand, it would certainly be troublesome.

Not long after, he put away his fifth bottle full of lightning and slowly floated to the center of the spirit gathering spell formation. Then after striking it with several spell seals, it formed an azure barrier around him, blocking the storm from disturbing him.

Then, he took a seat with his eyes closed. Of course, he couldnt refine any of the Triflame Fans materials in this womans presence.

Soon, only the sounds of thunder and wind could be heard.

After an entire day, the rain finally began to slowly go away and the scorching sun appeared in the sky. The weather immediately became hot and humid as miasma slowly restored it domain, enveloping the entire range once more. In addition, the many insects that had taken refuge had again emerged from the ground.

With great calm, Han Li slowly released his spiritual sense to a ten kilometer range. Able to sense everything from the trees to the smallest insect all clearly in his mind, he sank into tranquil meditation.

Whenever low-grade cultivators made their way up the mountain, they would immediately flee with terror after discovering the astonishing cultivation of the two Nascent Soul cultivators.

As for Han Li and the palace-robed woman, they remained seated for three entire days.

On the morning of the fourth day, another high-grade cultivator eventually arrived on the main mountain. This time, it was a man with a towering stature. He had a grotesque appearance and dark, shiny skin. From the result of some unknown technique, he left behind an evil wind in his tracks as he flew here on a large tortoise shell.

When this large man saw them both, he heartily laughed and found another boulder to sit on. However, he had no intention of meditating. Instead, he took out a sparkling golden book and began to read it.

His scholarly actions made for a drastic contrast with his appearance. Although they had turned a blind eye to his actions, Han Li was in truth inwardly frowning.

This towering man was also at mid-Nascent Soul stage. It appeared that Old Man Fus objective would be unordinary to gather so many cultivators at their level.

Half a day later, Han Li put away the Hidden Fortune Mansion and flew off to the mainland in a streak of light. He rapidly reached land after a few undisturbed weeks.

He didnt revisit the Heavenly Talisman Sect and instead rushed to Nanjiang, the southern border. He intermittently stopped throughout the journey to refine the portion of the Triflame Fan that required human flames. Han Li was gloomy that he wasnt able to encounter a thunderstorm along the way.

He wasnt worried, rather the opposite, the dense jungles of the southern border had a rainy climate with lightning often mixed in. It would only be a matter of time before he could refine the heaven flame.

Four months had passed before Han Li arrived at the Nanjiang1 Region, having to go through multiple provinces along the way.

1 The Nanjiang Region is a name that literally translates to the southern border. Not only is this territory is on the southern border, but its name literally translates to this as well.

The region was one of the few places that werent under the rule of a large sect. Rather, the regions resources were split up between a dozen or so mid-grade sects. Although there would commonly be strife in between these sects, if an external power were to invade, they would immediately unite. Even the great ten righteous and devilish sects havent been able to subject the territory under their rule, assuming an almost independent position in the Jin Empire.

Under such conditions, these sects were distrusting of outsiders and cultivated closely related techniques that were born of themselves.

They mostly cultivated rare Yin Poison techniques that were rarely seen. Not only were they skilled in using poison and insects, their skills in curses had reached perfection. If one fought with a Nanjiang cultivator, a single moment of carelessness would result in a vicious, unblockable blow.

The Chaoyun Prefecture was placed west in Nanjiang, with Twin Scorpion Mountain located in one of its desolate mountain ranges. It was covered in miasma hundreds of kilometers wide yearlong. Unless one had high enough cultivation or took medicine for the miasma, they would be unable to enter.

The mountain range was actually somewhat famous in Nanjiang. As a result of its miasma, the mountain grew many valuable poisonous plants and is the home to two types of venomous scorpions that were ideal for low-grade cultivators using insect techniques.

When Han Li arrived near this mountain, it was during the yearly eruption of miasma. Many cultivators were gathered nearby as the two breeds of venomous scorpions would emerge from their burrows during this time.

However, a majority of these cultivators were at Qi Condensation stage with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators mixed in. Since the mountain range was of little interest to high-grade cultivators, not even a single Core Formation cultivator was present.

If a mid-Nascent Soul eccentric like Han Li was discovered in the area, it would be cause for a great commotion. As such, he hadnt stayed in the mountains surroundings and instead flew into the dense, pink miasma. The azure light protecting his body easily blocked it and the venomous insects that lurked inside.

After making sure of his bearings, he directly made his way to the heart of the mountain.

Although Elder Wei had originally mentioned the name of the Twin Scorpion Mountain, he hadnt given a specific point. As such, Han Li decided to visit the main peak first.

While he flew and pondered about the purpose behind Elder Weis request, he suddenly heard a miserable scream from far away.

Its a Scorpion King, an Iron Tail Scorpion variant! Everyone, run! A hoarse mans voice shouted out in terror, followed by the nearby sounds of explosions and a strange insects cry.

Han Li glanced in their direction with blue light flickering from his eyes.

With sounds of tearing wind, a group of men and women began to appear within the miasma as they rushed in his direction. They were running with pointed feet and were sweeping across the ground in a clear display of body lightening techniques.

One of the women in the group caused Han Li to suddenly yelp in surprise when he saw her.

Soon after, he swept his sleeve and an azure mist spread out, clearing the miasma in the area, clearing an area of a hundred meters. The group came to a sudden stop when they entered the clearing.

Before they could react, Han Li pointed to the area behind them and made a fist. A hand of azure light appeared and captured something black in its grasp. Then, it flew in a circle and returned to Han Li.

The hand held a foot-long scorpion with a shiny jet-black shell, its half-foot-long tail was barbed and glowed with a purple light. This was the Iron Tail Scorpion variant that was pursuing these low-grade cultivators.

The scorpion was only a grade-two spirit beast, and was firmly confined by the hand of light, only capable of snarling in its capture. These cultivators were all dumbstruck when they saw Han Li in the air and were at a complete loss.

The light around him scattered and he asked one of the women, I didnt think Id see Fellow Daoist Wang here after I left the Jin Capital. Is Young Miss Cao doing well? 1

Its Fellow Da- No, Senior Han! Junior Martial Sister Cao is still in the Jin Capital. Ive only come here with a few comrades in search of spirit medicines. Lady Wang hurriedly took the initiative to respectfully salute him. Ever since Han Li took off after he was attracted by the sword cry, she had come to realize Han Lis identity as a high-grade cultivator and didnt dare to act casually with him.

When the others saw that Lady Wang recognized this great cultivator, they felt relieved and all stepped forward and saluted Han Li in thanks. However, they all believed Han Li to be at Core Formation stage as Nascent Soul cultivators were far beyond the possibility of contact.

Han Li nodded in acknowledgment and then turned to look at the confined scorpion with a frown. As the niece of the South Pillar General, you shouldnt need to brave the risk of looking for spiritual herbs.

Lady Wangs expression blanked and then she wryly smiled, Although my clan is rich and has provided me with a few spirit stones, my aptitude is only average. How could they possibly afford so many spirit stones on me?

Hmm. In truth, your aptitude is quite good, Foundation Establishment stage isnt out of reach for you. Since we had the fate to meet again, Ill hand this over to you. I have business to attend to soon, take care of yourselves. After that was said, Han Li casually pointed to the hand of light.

With a soft bang, the hand scattered into specks of light and the large scorpion trembled before falling to the ground, completely immobile.

Senior, I… Just as Lady Wang was about to utter words of thanks, Han Li disappeared in a flash and her words came to a sudden stop.

The other cultivators looked at the large scorpion variant with envy.

However, since the scorpion was something a high-grade cultivator had given her, none of them dared to rob her. They could only watch as the woman stuck several talismans on it and happily placed it in her spirit beast pouch.

Moments later, an explosion sounded out and the miasma covering the sky began to coil. Then, a furious wind scattered some of the miasma to reveal a black storm cloud floating in the air.

At that moment, Han Li glanced at the black mountain in the distance and muttered, The time has finally come. He then flew towards in the mountain in a streak.

Rolls of thunder sounded out and heavy rain pelted the surrounding miasma, causing it to shrink down to several meters off the ground. On the mountain in the distance, a storm began to reveal itself.

Han Li descended onto a large boulder on the mountaintop, remaining dry with the aid of a barrier of light surrounding him. However, there were eight cultivators already gathered: two at Foundation Establishment and the rest at Qi Condensation.

The group all had their hair wrapped in a bun and wore native outfits. When they saw Han Li appear, they all looked at each other in dismay.

Han Li swept his gaze at the cultivators and released a flood of astonishing spiritual Qi. After waving his arm at the cultivators, he coldly shouted, Get lost! as wind wildly blew around him, a mist of azure mist surged.

In their alarm, a few of the cultivators released protective barriers and hastily flew off on their magic tools. However, all of them were engulfed by azure mist and flung a hundred meters away. This made for a sorry sight as they wore faces of terror.

At that moment, they wordlessly rushed off the mountain now that they knew Han Li was a high-grade cultivator.

As Han Li watched them disappear from the mountaintop, he expressionlessly turned his gaze to the sky.

Lightning roared and danced in the black clouds above him.

1 The green-robed woman Han Li spoke to was Cao Mengrongs Senior Martial Sister Wang who he had earlier met on his way to the Jin Capital.

Three days later, Han Li appeared at a nameless island.

He stood on a huge boulder on the shore and solemnly watched Monarch Soul Divergences small puppet body.

Han Li slowly asked, Does Senior truly wish to pass away of his own accord? I still have methods that can allow your soul to persist for another month or two.

The miniature puppet shook its head and said, What does a few more days matter to me? I dont want to trouble you in this matter..

In that case, I wont say anything else… I hope youll be able to reincarnate and have the opportunity to cultivate in your next life.

How could the path of reincarnation be so easily tread? Even if I reincarnate, I might not take the body of a human. Ah yes, Youngster Han, do you remember that youd agree to one request since I researched the refinement process for the Triflame Fan?

Of course I remember. Do you think Id forget if you hadnt mentioned it? Han Li said with a wry smile.

Monarch Soul Divergence snorted. In that case, I will make good use of it. My request is quite simple. If it is possible, I hope you will reclaim the Thousand Bamboo School in the Far West, take in a disciple on my behalf, and continue my legacy. Do not allow my teachings to die out.

The current head of the school is not someone that had stemmed from my own personal disciples. I feel ill at ease over the matter.

It is no problem, Han Li quickly replied, When the time comes, I will take in a talented disciple and teach them all of your puppet techniques. Later, I will have them become the Thousand Bamboo Sect Master.

Monarch Soul Divergence bellowed with laughter. Your words have put my heart at ease. Ive collected all my techniques, lifes experiences, and knowledge into a set of jade slips I call The Great Development Treasure Scriptures. Ive left them all in my Heavenfortune Cask. Learn as much of it as you can, and teach them to the succeeding disciples of the Thousand Bamboo School. Only then will my legacy be truly passed on.

A fist-sized ball of green light then shot out from the puppet body and soared to the skies. As a series of cryptic incantations sounded out from it, the light suddenly surged, quickly turning into a blinding three-meter-wide wheel a hundred meters in the air, forcing Han Li to squint his eyes at the sight.

Then, the incantations came to a sudden halt and the area become silent. A quarter hour later, the wheel shrank and loudly ruptured, filling half of the sky with specks of green light in a marvelous display.

Han Li sadly watched this funeral unfold. With this, the sect establishing grandmaster known as the Monarch of Soul Divergence had passed away.

He quietly peered upon sky for a long while and drew a deep breath before lowering his gaze to find a lifeless small puppet floating in midair.

After putting it away in a wind of azure light, he slapped the bamboo tube on his back and summoned several jade slips out from it.

Han Li swept his spiritual sense through the jade slips and read that they did indeed contain the experiences of Monarch Soul Divergences life, including many secret techniques as well as many strange secrets of the cultivation world. After a while, he put away the jade slips in his storage pouch and muttered to himself as he sank into thought.

Now that the grand puppet was complete, the next step was to refine the Triflame Fan. Then, he should have enough strength to face the Elder Devil.

However, the fan would be somewhat troublesome to create. He would need the assistance of the true flames of earth, heaven, and man.

During his time at the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion 1, he grew quite interested in their vein of earthlung fire. In truth, he had wanted to use the flames to assist him in refining the materials, but now that he was in the Great Jin, the matter was impossible.

If he wanted to refine the materials that required earthfire, hed have to find another pure reservoir. There were many in the Great Jin and quite a few famous ones that didnt belong to any sect. Rather, these areas were easy to find but they were desolate lands that lacked spiritual Qi.

As for flames of man, a true fire of any cultivator would do, including his Nascent flame.

The sole problem was finding the flames of heaven. According to the jade slip, the so-called heavenfire was the flames produced from heavenly lightning. It would require a violent storm as he would be using the naturally occurring lightning in the refinement process.

Even if he were to use a Heavenly Lightning Bead, something that was refined from worldly lightning, it wouldnt require lightning but that power turned into flame.

So long as the conditions were fulfilled, hed be able to refine all the materials in about three months. Then, the completion of the Triflame Fan would only be a matter of time.

Additionally, he still had enough time to meet with the Nine Serenities Sects Elder Wei at the empires south border.

Although Han Li had agreed to his request with ulterior motives and didnt regard it with importance, there was a volcano at the southern border named Silver Snake Mountain. It erupted yearlong and was a famous fire vein in the Great Jin. Many cultivators would go there to refine their magic tools and treasures, allowing him to kill two birds with one stone.

He was also quite interested in the matter, given how seriously Elder Wei treated the request.

To tell the truth, he had completed about half of his objectives in the Great Jin. All that was left was for him to acquire the removal incantation for the Soul Seal Curse from the Yin Sifting Sect and seize back the two flying swords from the Elder Devil. Before then, he would have to refine another set of his flying swords with the new Auric Essence.

After thinking about this for a long while, he settled on a plan of action, but there were still two matters he had to handle first.

He promptly flew towards a small mountain range on the island and released his Hidden Fortune Mansion on top of one. After placing down a few concealment formations, he entered his hidden chambers.

Six days later, he had taken in the Spiritform Talisman that he acquired into his body. With that done, he sat down cross-legged and flung a spirit beast pouch from his waist into the air.

The bag opened and white mist spilled out to reveal a meter-long yellow demon beast that resembled a pangolin. It was the Armored Earth Dragon he acquired several years prior.

The beast had various colored restriction talismans stuck all around its body, and its limbs were pierced with several sparkling golden needles, leaving it motionlessly lying on the floor. When Han Li released it, its eyes anxiously wandered and it looked at Han Li with a miserable appearance.

It appeared that these few years had greatly weakened the beasts unruliness.

Han Li eerily said, There is no need to play the fool, demon beast. You will agree to pay allegiance to me, release your spiritual senses of your own accord, and allow me to subject you to a soul restraint. Otherwise, Ill simply kill you. Your demon core and scales should fetch me a good price.

When the Armored Earth Dragon heard this, its body trembled and fear betrayed in its eyes. But then, it resentfully glared at him.

Han Li looked at the beast and bluntly said, I wont have you become an inherited spirit beast. You will only be under control during my lifetime. During this, if I perish or ascend to the next realm, youll be freed. Since your lives are far longer than ours, this will only be a moment of your time.

The dragons gaze wavered and appeared to show hesitation.

Han Li mysteriously smiled and slapped his storage pouch, summoning a small green bottle into his hand. Foosh. Purple flames ignited, enveloping the bottle and releasing its lid into the air. Then, a glacial mist quickly shot out and rapidly dropped the temperature in the room.

When the dragon felt this glacial Qi, its entire body began to tremble and astonishment appeared in its eyes.

Han Li flicked his wrist and a drop of silver liquid flew out from the bottle and quickly condensed into a pearl.

Its eyes grew dull and its nose began to twitch towards the pearl. Suddenly, bestial snarls began to leave its mouth as if in a show of excitement.

Good, you recognize it. If you agree to become my spirit beast, Ill give you two drops of Glacial Quintessence, allowing you an opportunity to survive ascension tribulation. Now choose, Han Li coldly said.

Though the dragon was tempted by the pearl, its face still twitched with hesitance.

After a long while, the demon beast still didnt make any clear signs. Han Li snorted and then put the bottle away. Then, purple flames flickered from his hand and slowly condensed into the form of a sword.

When the Armored Earth Dragon sensed the swords fearsome spiritual power, its expression shifted. Han Li then released the sword, causing the demon beast to scream out in terror and yelp out in submission.

1 The Hundred Possibilities Pavilion is a sect allied to the Drifting Cloud Sect and share the Dreamcloud Mountains with them alongside the Ancient Sword Sect in the Heavenly South. Han Li visited it when he fought against the Ancient Sword Sects Eccentric Jin in chapter 869.

To the incoming attack of swordlight, the puppet simply pointed to the silver shield in front of it and did nothing else. In a flare of light, the shield grew several times thicker before flying forward to meet the attack.

The swordlight struck the silver luminescent shield with full force, resulting in a resounding explosion as flashes of white and green light coloring the sky, but the shield stood as firm as a mountain against the raging tide.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo grimaced at the sight and a trace of astonishment appeared on Han Lis face.

Monarch Soul Divergence said in voice transmission, It appears the might of the Tailstar Shield is above what was expected. Despite being a newly refined magic treasure and having yet been tempered, it has absolutely no problem blocking the strikes of ordinary magic treasures. However, I suspect only the puppet is able to bring out this degree of power. If you were to control the shield, you would only be able to display half as much might.

Han Li bluntly replied, Of course, the degree of power one can display from a magic treasure depends on its might, the amount of time tempered, the total magic power channeled into it, as well as ones control of spiritual sense. Storing spiritual power as magic power is the foundation of cultivation. This puppet is refined from rare materials and can pour three times as much magic power into the shield than I can.

Having spent so many days under Monarch Soul Divergences personal guidance, his grasp of puppet techniques had reached a profoundly high level. Monarch Soul Divergence may still prove his superior by far in this regard, but there are no others in this world that could hope to best him in puppet techniques.

Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled and added, Although the Tailstar Shield was something that you refined and gave to the puppet, it was created with its characteristics in mind. It is quite different from an ordinary magic treasure. Even if you channeled as much magic power into the shield, you still wouldnt be produce as much of its strength as the puppet.

Han Li nodded and said little else, turning his attention back to the battle.

At that moment, Old Man Bitter Bamboo gave his swords another order. Seeing that they were helpless in the face of that shield, he had them create another sword formation above his head in preparation for an attack.

After pointing to the formation, the swords let out a ring and began to spin around in the air. In a flash of light, they formed a three-meter-wide wheel.

He struck the wheel with several spell seals, causing it to rotate with increasing speed. Blinding green light then blazed at its center and concentrated in a beam of energy, fiercely striking at the silver shield.

A muffled bang sounded out, and a ball of green light erupted from the shield. The ball was massive and caved in the center of the shield of light. The depression quickly grew deeper as if it were on the verge of collapse.

At that moment, the puppet pointed to the shield and it began scattering into specks of white light. Then, the huge ball continued its overbearing charge forward and directly struck the physical shield behind it.

The silver shield trembled violently against the strike, but rather than shattering, it suddenly flowed with intermittent light and the surface become reflective like a mirror. Under the silver glow, the ball of light intensely quaked and began to decompose into countless smaller balls, shrinking down to less than half its original size as they scattered away.

Then, the shield tilted and burst with silver light, repelling the remaining attack before it ruptured in the air and disappeared.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo let out a deep sigh and was unable to conceal his shock. He stared at the puppet across from him with a grave expression.

Although that previous strike hadnt displayed the sword formations full might, the shield was still able to block such a heavy attack with ease, revealing an unfathomable defensive capability. As he pondered about activating the sword formations final ability, hesitation lingered in his mind.

Monarch Soul Divergence then said with a pleased tone, Alright, since the Tailstar Shield is this powerful, the elemental barrier wont need to be tested. Created from the Elemental Jade, its might wont be any lesser. Now lets test the puppets attacks.

Got it, Han Li calmly replied.

Purple light began to glow from the puppets eyes and it silently twisted its hands, producing a ball of faint red light. Then in a blinding flash, it turned into a several-inch-long red bow. It had an exquisite appearance with the carving of a flood dragon and sparkling red scales.

A Dragon Piercing Bow! Old Man Bitter Bamboo immediately shouted.

The puppet remained expressionless as it uttered, This is a Thunderfire Bow, not a Dragon Piercing Bow. I must warn you that its refined from the tendons of a flood dragon, and its might is even greater. The old man immediately felt his heart sink.

Soon after, the puppet summoned an emerald green arrow to its other hand in a clap of thunder.

It quickly muttered an incantation, and the miniature bow and arrow began to brightly shine with light before expanding to a normal size. Talisman characters flickered on the surface of the bow as scarlet flames wrapped around it. As for the green arrow, it shined with golden light and released several arcs of lightning, followed by pangs of thunder.

The puppet nocked the arrow and slowly pulled back the bowstring. Lightning and flames had already begun to fuse together around the arrow before release, letting out deafening booms.

Then, an overwhelming spiritual pressure was released from its body.

When the distant Core Formation-stage observers felt this spiritual wave, the air grew heavy as the light barriers protecting their bodies began to waver. Those with particularly weaker cultivation began to turn tail with fearful expressions.

After sensing the puppets spiritual Qi, Old Man Bitter Bamboo paled and loudly shouted, Stay your hand! The competition ends here! I forfeit!

Although he said this, he hadnt overlooked his defenses. With a flip of his hand, a triangular pendant shot out and began to surge with green, red, and yellow light, forming a strange barrier in front of him. Then, he waved at the sword wheel spinning in the air, dissolving it and having them revolve around him in a protective formation.

Han Li was surprised to see him take such drastic measures. He frowned, asking, Is the might of the Thunderfire Bow so great that it can inspire such fear?

With the massive spiritual power of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, any magic treasure would be fearsome. With the addition of a bow refined from the very bones and tendons of a Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, your arrow refined from Golden Lightning Bamboo, and the complex fusion of their powers, it is no surprise he felt such danger. After all, he isnt a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. If you were to use the puppets full power, there is a forty percent chance of slaying him in a single strike. Do you have an interest in killing him? Monarch Soul Divergence asked with a cold laugh.

Han Li inwardly shook his head and said, Forget it, Im not particularly interested in slaughter and the Black Phoenix feathers take priority. If the strike fails to kill him and he activates the islands restrictions, it will be trouble. And given his grand reputation, he should have a method to preserve his life as well and the attempt could spectacularly backfire. It seems we wont be able to test the puppets true offensive power.

Monarch Soul Divergence sighed and muttered, It is no matter. Ive already personally witnessed the puppet easily suppress a cultivator at the peak of mid-Nascent Soul stage. It clearly illustrates that its abilities are no lesser than that of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. I no longer have any regrets now that I know my lifes efforts werent wasted.

When Han Li heard this, a trace of sadness was betrayed from his face.

The astonishing spiritual Qi from the puppets body slowly disappeared. In a flash of light, the arrow and bow returned to their original size and both elements had faded away.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo was relieved to see this, but he still felt cold sweat line his back. In the instant he was targeted, he sensed that his life in danger and immediately conceded. From the abilities and spiritual pressure that his opponent had displayed, there was no longer any doubt that he was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. It appears that it was a wise decision to come out of seclusion to deal with these people. He didnt believe that the islands Myriad Tree Formation would be able to stop the wrath of a late-Nascent Soul eccentric, not to mention that he had a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator following him as well.

He put away his own magic treasures as well and then beckoned the two to meet him again at the tree hall.

This time, he spoke to them with an exceptionally polite attitude. He handed a magic tool to his old steward and commanded him to pluck off several of the phoenixs feathers. Then, he began to chat with them to see if he could ask about their origins. After all, the puppets appearance didnt match the description any of the late-Nascent Soul cultivators on the continent.

While Han Li had a lively chat with Old Man Bitter Bamboo, the puppet remained deathly silent. After talking for a long while, the old man hadnt found any relevant information. He could only wryly laugh to himself as he was helpless to find any further information.

A quarter hour later, the steward came back with a jade box and respectfully presented it to his master.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo glanced at the two visiting cultivators and with a sweep of his sleeve, he tossed the box over to Han Li. He was now able to see that although this Cultivator Li seemed unwilling to deal with others, so he tactfully handed it over to Han Li.

Han Li bluntly took the jade box and opened it to reveal a line of dazzling red feathers. After he examined them with a squint, he couldnt help but smile.

Half a day later, Han Li and the puppet left Bitter Bamboo Island in two trails of light.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the nearby skies.

Since the topic of the tree wasnt a kept secret, the old man explained, These Divine Mulberry Trees all stem from the same roots, so they are considered to be the same.

Han Li clicked his tongue in awe, That is quite eye-opening. It is said that the Divine Mulberry Tree is only exceeded by the Three Great Divine Trees.

Afterwards, Han Li followed the cultivator to an area seemingly filled with trees, and suddenly felt the nearby spiritual Qi shake. The scene before him blurred and massively changed, revealing a kilometer tall mountain. Surrounding the mountain were buildings of various sizes with a few cultivators darting back and forth between them.

You all can go ahead and attend to your own matters, the old man commanded the other cultivators. He then turned to Han Li and said, Seniors, please follow me.

They followed the old man to the top of the mountain where there was a huge hall carved out of a giant tree. There were four cultivators wearing green armor outside of the hall, each of them with a halberd in hand.

When the old man brought Han Li to the entrance, the four remained completely still as if they were statues.

Han Li curled his lips and felt a bit of surprise.

Although they were only Foundation Establishment cultivators, the wood spiritual Qi their body emitted was the purist he had ever seen from a cultivator of their grade, and their equipment were all top-grade wood-attribute spiritual tools. It was a remarkable sight.

As if having seen through Han Lis surprise, the old man smiled and took the initiative to explain, These four are our Wood Spirit Soldiers who were personally trained by the master with the aid of the Divine Mulberry trees power and they cultivate a peculiar art. Although their cultivation isnt high, they are skilled in joint attacks. If Senior has the opportunity, you could give them some pointers.

Han Li nodded and said, They truly are unordinary cultivators.

When the old man saw that Han Li appeared indifferent, he tactfully dropped the matter and they entered the hall.

The wood hall wasnt a complex structure. Apart from the main room, there was only one side chamber. As soon as they entered, they found a tall man standing with his back turned to them. He wore long green robes and had snow-white hair.

When the old man saw this person, he deeply bowed with a solemn expression and silently stood in place.

Han Li stared at the man and asked, Are you Old Man Bitter Bamboo?

The green-robed man chuckled and turned around, Thats right. You are quite unfamiliar to me though. Since youve dared to ask of my name, you Fellow Daoists must be from the mainland?

Han Li narrowed his eyes when he saw this person. He had a young and handsome face that belonged to someone in their early twenties, but there was a faint layer of green Qi surrounding his face.

Han Li was quite shocked as he expected to meet an old man with a faceful of wrinkles. This Old Man Bitter Bamboo was like himself, his appearance was halted through the use of some sort of technique.

Although he was smiling, when he saw Han Li, a peculiar emotion was betrayed from his eyes.

Han Li politely said, In truth, we arent cultivators from overseas. My surname is Han and this is my Senior Martial Brother Li. I hope you wont take offense at how Ive boldly paid you a visit.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo examined them both and smiled, saying, So it was like that? I wouldve welcomed you if I could. Fellow Daoist Lis cultivation is particularly profound, I cant even determine it. It is quite eye-opening.

Han Li smiled and said, Fellow Daoist Bitter Bamboo is too modest. Your reputation is resounding throughout the land.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo chuckled and said, How about you two first try our islands unique mulberry tea before we begin any talks?

Afterwards, he curtly clapped his hand and several young female cultivators walked in with a tea set. After steeping a cup of a faint green tea for each of the cultivators, they respectfully took their leave.

Han Li lowered his head to look at the tea on the table and saw that it was filled with wood spiritual Qi. With a shifting air, he asked, Does this tea have anything to do with your Divine Mulberry Tree?

Old Man Bitter Bamboo proudly said, Fellow Daoist is quite perceptive. The tea is infused with the leaves of the Divine Mulberry Tree and has quite an effect on clearing the mind. There is no other such tea in any place in the world.

Hmm, I truly have to taste it then. After sweeping his spiritual sense past the tea, Han Li found no problem with it and took a sip.

When Old Man Bitter Bamboo saw the other cultivator sitting there without drinking the tea, he asked with an odd expression, Fellow Daoist Li, do you not like tea?

In a voice lacking any emotion, the puppet said said, Ever since Ive begun fasting, Ive never partaken in any food or drink outside of my cave residence.

Ah, it seems Ive been quite imprudent. Old Man Bamboo betrayed a trace of annoyance on his face, but he quickly concealed it. freewbnoel.com

Since this eccentric dared to act this way in front of me, he must be confident in his abilities. Could it be that he is actually a late-Nascent Soul cultivator? As these thoughts appeared in his mind, he felt a trace of fear towards this person.

After taking a few more sips of the tea, Han Li put down the cup and asked, Fellow Daoist Bamboo should know our reason for coming. What do you think about my proposal?

With an unsightly expression, Old Man Bitter Bamboo frowned and shortly grimaced, Ill be honest. This trade is quite difficult for me. The Black Phoenix is currently at a crucial moment in its growth. I am unwilling to agree to the exchange no matter how many demon cores you offer. Who knows if there will ever come a time that the phoenix will have another breakthrough.

Then you mean to say that you dont agree? Han Li pursed his lips, but he wasnt surprised to hear this in the slightest.

Hehe, if I truly refused you two, I fear that you would be unwilling to return empty-handed. How about this, as cultivators as powerful as we are, how about we compare a few of our techniques? If one of you are able to defeat me in battle, I may be willing to agree to the trade, but if not…

If not, we will immediately leave and never mention this matter again, Han Li said without hesitation.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo swept his gaze past the two and mysteriously smiled. Good, it is settled then. I havent had a measure of strength in nearly a hundred years. Which one of you will I be fighting?

Under Han Lis control, he willed the puppet to say, If you find it acceptable, how about sparring with me?

Thats fine. Im also quite curious to see Brother Lis techniques. We will compare pointers above the mountain, come! When Old Man Bitter Bamboo saw that his opponent would be the man with the mysterious cultivation, he solemnly stood up from his chair.

Han Li and the puppet followed after him.

The old steward that had remained silent this entire time couldnt help but reveal an excited expression. A battle between Nascent Soul cultivators wasnt something that was often seen.

Soon, Han Li was floating over three hundred meters above the mountain and wore a calm expression. He stood a hundred meters away from Old Man Bitter Bamboo and the puppet.

In the air nearby, there were eight additional Core Formation cultivators that were watching with wide-open eyes.

Go! Old Man Bitter Bamboo shouted. He formed an incantation gesture, and a blinding light suddenly covered his body. Over a hundred faint green flying swords were released around him in specks of light, filling the air with an astonishing pressure.

The glowing swords flickered and arranged themselves in a strange formation. They then began to revolve above Old Man Bitter Bamboo, producing a strangely hostile intent.

When Han Li saw this, his expression suddenly froze.

Having refined so many flying swords, it is only natural for him to comprehend sword formations so well. Although he had already guessed as much, he was still shocked to see it with his own eyes.

Monarch Soul Divergence clicked his tongue and excitedly said, Youngster Han, it seems this person has quite a bit of skill. This will allow the puppet to reveal even more of its powers! Lets first test the puppets defensive abilities. His voice didnt carry a trace of doubt.

Understood. Having used so many rare materials to refine it, Han Li was also excited to see what would happen and he commanded the puppet to act.

From a distance, he saw it open its mouth and spit out a palm-sized shield. In a flash of light, it transformed into a huge silver shield in front of it. In quick succession, the puppet formed an incantation gesture and various-colored talisman characters appeared in the air, condensing into a rainbow barrier covering both shield and body.

Old Man Bitter Bamboo yelped when he saw this and asked, Could you be Nanjiang of the Fierce Saint Sect? This ability appears similar to their sects trademark Spiritmark Technique.

Han Lis heart stirred when he heard this but he commanded the puppet to curtly speak, No.

An odd expression appeared on Old Man Bitter Bamboos face and then he replied, Oh? So I was mistaken. However, there is an undeniable resemblance. It was clear he was doubtful.

However, he didnt ask any further questions. When he saw that his opponent did nothing, he felt as if he was being underestimated. Annoyed, his expression turned sullen and he began to mutter an incantation.

The hundreds of flying swords above him began to buzz and tremble before shooting out from the formation as three-meter-long swordstreaks, obsuring the sky with their barrage. They all combined into a huge ray of light enroute, producing an astonishing pressure and dazzling radiance.

Light flashed in the distant sky, followed by a streak of azure tearing through the sky like a bolt of lightning, arriving fifty kilometers away from an island covered in mist. The light faded away to reveal a youth wearing Confucian robes and carrying a bamboo tube on his back.

Han Li looked down at the mist, but his vision was completely concealed. He raised his brow and tried once more with blue light flashing from his eyes. A moment later, his expression became sullen.

He muttered, The grand Myriad Tree Formation is worthy of its reputation. Even with the use of my Brightsight Spirit Eyes, I cant see through their restrictions.

Of course. This trip will make a great target to test the puppets strength. Not only is Old Man Bitter Bamboo an optimal opponent, but you also need the tail feathers of their Black Phoenix for the Triflame Fan. Monarch Soul Divergences weak voice sounded out from the bamboo tube. Ever since he had performed the soul division, his strength had been on the decline.

Han Li worriedly asked, Exactly, but will you be able to persist?

Monarch Soul Divergence softly chuckled, Dont worry, with the aid of the Soul Concentrating Talisman, I wont easily pass away from this world before seeing the true might of this puppet.

Han Li nodded and looked down once again. He narrowed his eyes and slapped a storage pouch at his waist. Then in the glow of azure light, a pale middle-aged cultivator with a stature similar to Han Li appeared.

The cultivator wore yellow robes and had impeccably smooth skin. Under closer inspection, it had a clear resemblance to the miniature puppet that Monarch Soul Divergence housed himself in, but the eyes glinted with cold light and its expression was void of emotion.

Although Han Li had seen this puppet many times before, he couldnt help but take another look.

The Flexile Spirit Jade was truly miraculous and created the appearance of a lifelike person. Under Monarch Soul Divergences refinement instructions, the grey stone had turned into the color of flesh and was fused with Tailstar Silver to become the puppets outer shell.

Because Flexile Spirit Jade could change shape, one could place a thread of spiritual sense inside and control the puppet to speak and change appearance.

However, there was one glaring problem with using the puppet. Full use of its abilities for repeated attacks could only be sustained with high-grade spirit stones for a puppet as grand as this, but they were incredibly rare. Though they are all in high demand in every market, Han Li was able to gather a few of them. He reckoned that if it were to attack in full force, it would consume one high-grade spirit stone in a quarter hour.

Lets begin, Han Li calmly said. Since the puppet had been refined, it needed to be tested.

The puppet raised its hands and spread out its fingers, immediately gathering mists of blue light around each palm. In the blink of an eye, it condensed into huge blinding spheres that carried an astonishing pressure.

With a flick of its wrists, the light spheres shot forward in a line and disappeared deep into the mist.

Han Li expressionlessly glanced down in silence.

Shortly after, a world-shaking eruption burst out and the calm mist now wildly surged. Two broad pillars of wind erupted into the sky and wildly wreaked havoc, scattering three hundred meters of the mist around them like a storm. The surrounding winds howled furiously in rage as they blew.

Han Li took advantage of the chaos and looked again, faintly catching sight of a large island. A barrier of green light appeared above it and seemed to cover most of it.

A dozen streaks of various colored light then flew directly towards them without restraint. It was clear that the attack had alarmed the cultivators on the island.

Han Li examined them and saw that there was a large disparity of power among them. They ranged from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation stage and were being led by a late-Core Formation cultivator.

Who are you two? Why have you- Yi! May I ask why you two Seniors have paid our island a visit?

When the old man arrived, he originally thought to rebuke and interrogate them, but when their leader swept his spiritual sense past Han Li, he discovered he possessed mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, much like his master. When he wasnt able to see through the others cultivation especially, he felt his heart drop and his tone quickly changed.

Han Li blinked and smiled, saying, Ive long heard of Fellow Daoist Bamboos famous reputation, and decided to pay him a visit. Could you make a report?

The old man in charge was surprised and then also smiled, That is unfortunate. The master had entered seclusion several years prior and cannot meet with guests. If you two Seniors have any important requests, can you first mention them to me? The matters of Bitter Bamboo Island have been left in my charge.

Han Li calmly said, Fellow Daoist Bitter Bamboo is in seclusion? What a pity, but itll be fine since you can handle it. I heard that your esteemed island was nurturing a Black Phoenix, is this true?

The old man felt his heart tremble. What does Senior mean?

With an unchanged expression, Han Li calmly said. Its nothing much. I just want to refine a treasure that will require three of its tail feathers. I am willing to trade a grade-seven and three grade-six demon cores. Are you willing to agree? After that, he summoned four jade boxes in front of him with a sweep of his sleeve.

He casually pointed to each of them, and they opened to reveal four various-colored demon cores with one of them slightly larger than the others.

Exchange these for phoenix feathers? The old man asked with confusion. As Han Lis request was beyond his expectations, he couldnt help but feel at a loss.

Han Lis smile faded to reveal a solemn expression. Thats right. Your Black Phoenix should be a grade-seven demon beast. It should be a fair trade with this many demon cores and show that my intentions are sincere.

The old mans expression wavered for a long while before eventually shaking his head. These demon cores would be more than enough for the trade. However, this isnt something that I can decide.

When Han Li heard this, his face turned cold as he silently glared at the old man.

When he saw that Han Li appeared angered, his heart sank and hastily explained, Please dont misunderstand, Senior. I dont mean you any disrespect, but the Black Phoenix is undergoing a crucial point in its cultivation. We cannot do anything that would harm it.

So it was like that, but I cannot give up on those feathers. How about this? Ill add another grade-seven demon core to compensate you for your loss. Han Li frowned and then took out another jade box.

The Bitter Bamboo Island cultivators then looked at each other in dismay.

What, are you still unwilling to accept? Han Li gloomily sighed and then looked at those present with an icy expression.

The old man trembled under Han Lis frigid gaze. After taking another glance at the unknown cultivator at Han Lis side, he eventually gritted his teeth and said, Since this matter is so incredibly important, I truly cannot make the decision. Please wait a moment, I will take upon the risk of offending the master and send him a message. Let us wait for his reply. If he handled this improperly or ended up provoking a powerful enemy, he would be punished regardless.

Good, Ill wait. Han Li nodded and his face relaxed.

As a result, the old man made certain of the details and then released the voice transmission talisman back to the island. Knowing the vast cultivation of the two cultivators, he had no other choice but to disturb his master.

Han Li didnt wait for long. As he examined the restrictions on the island, he heard an aged voice echo out.

So it was a Nascent Soul-stage Fellow Daoist that has paid a visit. I hope youll forgive me for not coming out personally to greet you. With that said, Old Man Bamboo then commanded his disciples, Bring them to the Phoenix Pavilion. Ill come shortly.

The old man hastily bowed in salute and respectfully replied, As you command, Master! Then, he turned and smiled, Seniors, please follow me. The Master has agreed to meet you.

Han Li glanced around and said with an unchanged tone, Good, I was interested in taking a look at this well-renowned island. Afterwards, he descended with the puppet in tow.

With the assistance of the late-Nascent Soul stage puppet, Han Li reckoned they wouldnt be able to restrain him even if they activated the Myriad Tree Formation.

In the blink of an eye, the party flew into the island through an opening in the barrier.

As soon as Han Li entered, he suddenly felt a wave of spiritual Qi immerse his senses. He looked down below at the large verdant trees, seeing them grow up to heights of over a hundred meters. There were a large variety, including those that were rarely ever seen.

Among them, there were a dozen that were clearly larger than the others, mulberry trees that were a bizarre purple. They were strangely arranged throughout the island, presumably in accordance with Daoist principles.

Han Li frowned and suddenly asked the old man, These are your islands Divine Mulberry Trees, wasnt there only said to be one? How can there be a dozen?

The old man stole a few glances at the unknown cultivator and silently thought, Why has he never spoken or face moved? Could he possess a peculiar character?