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Han Lis expression sank when he saw their attempt to escape, and proceeded to flick his fingers at the three cultivators who had emerged from the yellow mist. They were only able to fly ten meters away before being engulfed by sword Qi.

Miserable screams sounded out, followed by a shower of blood raining from the air.

Terrified, the hunchbacked old man that escaped in the blood cloud immediately poured the entirety of his spiritual power into the cloud, hoping to reach the street a hundred meters away.

He didnt actually think he would be able to escape, but if he managed to escape in an area filled with morals and cause Han Li to hesitate, buying him precious time.

However, Han Li simply stood in place with a sneer and pointed at the blood cloud. The red thread that had just killed Shopkeeper Feng a moment ago suddenly appeared behind the cloud and pierced through it in a flash of crimson light.

An anguished wail sounded out and the blood cloud scattered. The hunchbacked old man then fell from the sky and was caught by a large hand of azure light. It had thrown away the three magic tools previously in its grasp, bringing only the old man back to Han Li.

As for the red thread, it completely disappeared without a trace before making a reappearance at his side.

Han Li held out his hand and the thread slowly fell into his palm to reveal its true form as an inch-long flying needle. It was translucent and crystalline with red light pulsing from its surface.

He looked at the needle with a satisfied expression. Quite a bit of effort went in to refine the crystallized demon core into this flying needle. Its great might, speed, and stealth were all to his satisfaction. And with a bit more tempering, he could increase its power by another stage.

With a flip of his hand, the needle was absorbed into his body. Emotionlessly, he raised his head to look at the hunchbacked old man grasped in the hand of light. The old mans complexion had now turned completely pale in part due to the new hole in his abdomen.

When he saw Han Li looking at him, the old man forced a smile out of fear and spoke with a flattering tone, This is a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! Since Senior possesses such vast abilities, we certainly found the wrong person! Yes, Senior must certainly be a magnanimous person and mustnt lower himself to this foolish Juniors level. I-I am a mere member of the Guannings Kong clan. Please, if you have any questions, I will be sure to answer them all! Knowing that his situation was dire, he hastily rambled in hope of somehow persuading Han Li to spare him.

However, Han Li stuck a talisman onto the old mans body and he suddenly ceased begging for his life as his eyes became spiritless.

So troublesome, I only wish to know a few things so I didnt have to worry, he muttered softly and then summoned all of the magic tools on the ground into his hand before heading inside the courtyard, followed by the large azure hand tightly grabbing the old man.

The courtyard had a very simple smokescreen restriction placed down inside of it. Han Li paid it no regard and with a wave of his hand, he struck it with magic seals and shattered it. Afterwards, he brought the old man into one of the rooms.

…

After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li struck the old man and turned him to ash, having him pass away from the world while he was unconscious. Then, he sat down in a wooden chair, and began to mull over his thoughts as he held his chin in hand.

Without having to worry about preserving the soul, he used the Dreamtear Technique to scour everything the old man knew.

He was a Foundation Establishment attendant of the Kong Clan that was in charge of their affairs in the Jin Capital.

This person was actually quite competent. He was able to find Shopkeeper Feng two years ago and threatened him into paying allegiance to the Kong Clan. After all, how could a mortal dare to oppose a cultivator?

When Han Li used Feng Yues jade pendant to contact Shopkeeper Feng, he had informed the Kong Clan members in turn, hoping to acquire merit with them.

As a result, the old man rejoiced at the appearance of the long lost Young Master of the Feng Clan and didnt dare to release this opportunity. He set up a trap and personally set off to deliver the supposed Feng Yue to an ambush.

But when Han Li left the restaurant, he was able to see through the old mans poor concealment techniques at a glance and asked Shopkeeper Feng a knowing question. Unfortunately, there were too many mortals nearby and he couldnt directly take action. As such, he decided to follow them and later investigate the matter. Eventually, he was led into an ambush of Foundation Establishment cultivators, each of them posing as much of a threat to him as an ant.

He had an idea this was going to happen. Even if Core Formation cultivators laid in ambush for him, it would still prove to be a laughable matter.

As Han Li scoured through the old mans soul, he made an astonishing discovery.

After the three noble clans of Guanning concluded their joint trade fair, it was discovered that the Kong Clan Ancestor had his soul devoured and that his corpse was possessed by a devil. As a result, the other two clans joined together to request assistance from the sects backing them, leading to the possessed Ancestor being struck down.

With this, the Kong Clan suffered a massive drop in strength, turning from the strongest to the weakest clan in the region. This had also foiled the plan of King Glorious Blaze who was hidden deep into the Snowmound Mountain Range. Furious, he directly raised his tomb and released several thousands of Foundation Establishment-grade undead soldiers, brazenly forming an Underworld Ghost Formation to destroy all human life in the mountains.

The high-grade cultivators backing the three clans had a massive battle against the three corpses of the ancient tomb. Many of the refined corpses and low grade disciples had perished, with the disciples souls consumed by the ghost formation.

As for the Nascent Soul-grade cultivators, they found themselves at a massive disadvantage as they fought against the tombs three corpses inside of the Underworld Ghost Formation, with one of these cultivators even suffering heavy injuries out of negligence. After the battle, cultivators of the three clans were trapped on the mountain where the grand auction had been held by the ghost formation, which spanned fifty kilometers around them. They could only rely on the grand formations that were previously established on the mountain to survive with much difficulty.

In truth, these Nascent Soul cultivators had heavily injured King Glorious Blaze in their ambush and had underestimated him as a result. They had believed that since he had been crippled, he shouldve been easy to deal with. But they hadnt known that King Glorious Blaze had the strength equivalent to a late-Nascent Soul cultivator with the support of his tomb, and with the addition to two other early-Nascent Soul grade corpses, the mortal cultivators became completely overwhelmed in terms of might.

Had things continued, the cultivators wouldve been wiped out, but such bold movements over the span of the month had eventually alerted a late-Nascent Soul cultivator of a nearby Daoist sect. In a display of amazing strength, this eccentric scared the three corpses back into the depths of the Snowmound Mountains.

The late-Nascent Soul cultivator showed no intention of pursuing the corpses after forcing them to retreat. And after the three clans were rescued, they didnt dare to remain in the vicinity and withdrew from the mountain range, giving the corpse monarch free reign over the land and an opportunity for him to rise again with greater strength.

However, King Glorious Blaze and the other two corpses were also fearful towards the late-Nascent Soul cultivator and didnt dare to rashly emerge from the depths of the mountain.

Naturally, Han Li understood the old man only knew a portion of the truth, but he was able to draw a connection with the heavily injured King Glorious Blaze he had seen. After coming up with his own conclusions, he couldnt help but click his tongue in astonishment.

This King Glorious Blaze was a rather fearsome character. He was already heavily injured when he fought against Master Wildsand, but only needed a short while to recover before raising a large scale assault against the nearby cultivators. frewebnoel.com

But as someone who consumed countless medicines, Han Li clearly knew that it was impossible to fully recover ones vitality from such grave injuries so quickly no matter what medicine they took. Han Li had yet to fully recover his peak cultivation, for example, despite the number of medicines at his disposal. As such, the only possibility of King Glorious Blazes sudden recovery in strength was that his techniques as a myriad year corpse monarch were immensely powerful to begin with or his techniques had a unique property allowing for a miraculous recovery.

As Han Li pondered about the abilities of the corpse monarch, he recalled the Heavenly Corpse Pearl he set aside within his body. He drew much support from the pearls powerful effects to cultivate the Brightjade Arts. He was even unsure whether he wouldve been able to cultivate the technique to the second layer solely with the vajra relic.

The effectiveness of the pearl was perhaps the reason why King Glorious Blaze was able to recover his strength at miraculous speed.

Han Li calmly pondered the matter for a moment more before tossing it to the back of his mind, setting his thoughts on making future plans in the Jin Capital.

Needless to say, he wouldnt be able to stay at this courtyard for long. Someone would likely come to investigate the disappearance of Shopkeeper Feng, which would be quite troublesome. It would be better for him to rent a room at a monastery or temple for a time as it would be much quieter than an inn.

Additionally, he would need to pay a visit to the cultivator markets in the Jin Capital to investigate the details of the upcoming great auction.

Having made certain of his plans, he departed from the residence, leaving no trace of him behind.

After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li arrived on top of a small mountain.

He looked at the huge city in the distance and saw carriages and pedestrians busily making their way through the gate.

As Han Li continued to watch with a gloomy expression, Monarch Soul Divergences voice sounded from in his mind, Leave it be, youve already gained something now that you know the Elder Devil is in the Great Jin. You will eventually have a chance to reclaim your flying swords, but now is not the time. You still havent fully recovered your cultivation and the Triflame Fan still hasnt been refined. The Elder Devil may have been inflicted with grave wounds in the past, but it shouldve been able to also make a full recovery by absorbing the souls and cores of others. If you were to face it now, your odds of victory arent very high.

Senior is right. If I were to chase it now, I only have a one in ten chance of defeating the Elder Devil, it is truly too powerful. Previously, I was a bit too hasty since I wanted to retrieve my swords so that I would regain the ability to use the Aureate Sword Formation. It seems Ill have to wait until you complete your puppet body and after I refine the Triflame Fan. However, the devil appeared to have urgent business at hand since he was flying at such a great speed that he hadnt discovered me. As for the two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords in his possession, he wasnt able to subject them to his control and is reluctant to let them go despite this. Since the primary material of their creation is myriad year Golden Lightning Bamboo and they were tempered with both Refined Crystal and Auric Essence, the two swords are incredibly valuable magic treasures. If he wished to destroy the swords, he would need to waste a great amount of strength and slowly destroy it with devil flame. There is no way the devil would do something wasteful and fruitless. Finished speaking, Han Li faintly smiled.

Thats also correct. But with that said, if you were to wholeheartedly hone your flying swords for another four hundred years, the power of your sword formation would reach a fearsome stage. It may reach a level of power no lesser than a Divine Spirit Treasure. Monarch Soul Divergence sighed and spoke with a tone of admiration. During his peak, he never had the opportunity to create a magic treasure using such precious materials.

Han Li wryly chuckled and said, Perhaps, but I have no intention of spending nearly half of my lifespan to honing my magic treasures.

Hehe, your shrewdness is comparable to mine. If I were half as careful as you were in the past, I mightve been able to enter Deity Transformation stage. As for the reason the Elder Devil appeared in the Jin Capital, it most likely has to do with the trade meet. Youngster Han, you must be careful to avoid having the devil recognize you.

Many thanks for your concern, Senior. I will be careful. I originally planned on drawing on the support of the South Pillar Generals estate to understand the particulars of the trade meet, but it seems Ill have to investigate for myself. If I remember correctly, there is a restaurant in the Jin Capital that belonged to the Feng Clan. Ill first take a look there and save myself the risk of being noticed by someone perceptive at an inn. After Han Li muttered those words, he stepped off the mountain and directly made his way to the huge city in the distance.

Although the Jin Capital was said to be unrivaled in majesty and was incomparable in scope by mortals and low-grade cultivators, in Han Lis eyes, it was actually a few grades inferior compared to the Scattered Star Seas Heavenly Star City, the greatest city he had seen in his lifetime.

However, the Jin Capital did have a few aspects that were unique. Apart from the outermost wall of the city, there were fifteen-meter-tall six-layered walls constructed every half kilometer interval away from the city. It was a miraculous feat for this to be constructed through the sole might of mortals.

In addition to the many walls of the capital, the city was divided into thirteen large districts. The north-most section was the imperial city, taking up about twenty kilometers of land. The other districts were just as large but they were densely filled with buildings and roads. To walk past two districts from the city gates, he had to spend nearly half a day.

Han Li felt quite gloomy as he was unaccustomed to travelling for long periods of time at such a slow speed.

Eventually, Han Li found himself standing in front of a two-story restaurant. He calmly looked at it for a moment with both hands behind his back before walking in.

The restaurant was doing quite well for itself, as seen from its mostly filled seats. Han Li casually swept his gaze past the first floor before making his way to the counter. A thin middle-aged man who appeared to be the shopkeeper was standing behind it.

When Han Li arrived in front of him, he didnt bother to say anything. He simply swept his sleeve and placed a jade pendant on the counter. It was inscribed with the words Feng of Ning.

When the shopkeeper saw the pendant, his expression changed and he took a quick look at Han Li before calmly taking the it into his hand and carefully examining it.

Soon, he put the pendant away and whispered, Follow me!

The shopkeeper turned around, paying no notice of any other customers, and walked through the side door. Han Li followed after him.

The shopkeeper led him into a secluded building and then he offered the pendant back to Han Li with both his hands, respectfully saying, So it was the Young Master who has arrived. This servant Feng Quan pays his respects. It appeared he had mistaken him for the deceased Feng Yue.

Help me find a residence where no one will trouble me, Han Li coldly commanded, It cant be the restaurant. Itll be best to find a place that has no one else nearby, and you should also keep this matter to yourself. Dont tell anyone else.

Yes. I will find an appropriate residence for the Young Master. Please rest here, Ill be back in half a day. The shopkeeper spoke without hesitation.

Han Li nodded. Good, go quickly.

Shopkeeper Feng left the room and carefully shut the door, then hurrying on his way. Now alone, Han Li casually pulled a chair to the side and sat down before sinking into meditation.

Time slowly passed by, and Han Lis face stirred as he opened his eyes. Footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

Then, Shopkeeper Feng excitedly walked in.

Young Master, Ive found a suitable place! The master of the residence is an old friend of mine and his family is out travelling. The building is entirely empty and he will not return for two years. Ive made arrangements and you may immediately move in.

Yes, that sounds good. Lead the way.

I am honored, Young Master. Please follow me. Shopkeeper Feng walked out from the room with Han Li closely following after him.

They left the restaurant from the rear entrance where a two-wheel cart was waiting for them. A hunchbacked old man was sitting at the front.

Han Li narrowed his eyes when he saw the white-haired coachman and said, You are quite accommodating to have prepared a cart. But didnt I say to keep this matter quiet? Whats going on with this person?

Young Master, this is Old Man Wu, Shopkeeper Feng respectfully replied, He is quite sensible, but he can hardly hear anything, so there is no fear of him spreading rumors. And since the residence I mentioned is far away, it would be better to take a horse. rewebnol.cm

So it was like that. Thats fine. Han Li frowned and pondered for a moment before climbing on the cart.

Shopkeeper Feng also climbed on and the old coachman shook the horses reigns without the need for any orders. They then slowly set off.

Han Li sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. As for Shopkeeper Feng, he sat in the corner of the cart and kept silent with a lowered head.

They passed through many different roads and changed direction to head to another district. Two hours later, the cart stopped at a remote courtyard. There were no other residences, causing the region to appear quite desolate.

Han Li and Shopkeeper Feng then descended from the cart. With a smile, the shopkeeper led the way and pushed open the gate. This is it, Young Master. I will go in first and tidy up one of the rooms for you.

But at that moment, Han Li suddenly said, You plan on heading in first to escape the restriction and then have the three inside capture me?

Shopkeeper Feng was greatly alarmed and without another thought, he pushed open the gate and was about to run inside, but a strange red thread suddenly made an appearance behind his head. Then, his body was set aflame and instantly turned to ash.

When the hunchbacked old man on the cart saw this, he shouted, Attack!

With a wave of his hand, the old man launched a green flying saber towards Han Li. At that same moment, a yellow mist suddenly filled the empty courtyard, and a black pitchfork and two scarlet halberds shot towards Han Li.

Han Li sneered at the sight and waved his sleeve, releasing an azure mist. The saber flew into the mist only to be captured and drawn into his sleeve.

As for the other three magic tools flying towards them, he casually waved his arm at them and another mist of light appeared from his hand, capturing them all at lightning speed. In a single moment, all of their weapons were completely restricted.

Loud frightened shouts came out from the yellow mist and the old mans complexion turned pale.

They all realized what Han Lis vast display of strength had signified.

Without another thought, the old man released a faint red talisman from his hand and bit down on his tongue to release blood essence onto the it, dissolving into a cloud of sanguine around the old man before flying over thirty meters away in the blink of an eye.

The cultivators in the mist werent slow to react either. Three streaks of varying colored light flew out and scattered in different directions.

Han Li gave a respectful nod to Cao Mengrongs Senior Martial Sister, but when he heard of the mans unordinary status, his expression stirred and he said, The South Pillar General! So you were one of the eight illustrious generals of the Great Jin. Ive been too rude.

Although he understood very little of the Great Jins court, he was well aware of its famous officials.

The eight great generals controlled a majority of the military strength in the empire. Each of them commanded armies numbering in the millions, protecting the cities at the frontier with hardened elites.

However, the reason why Han Li knew about these generals wasnt because of any concern for the mortal world, but that three of the great generals were relatives of the royal family. As for the rest, they were given assistance from the various superpowers of the cultivation world to acquire their positions. Even the Great Jin Imperial Family couldnt easily go against them them. And since the South Pillar General wasnt related to the royal family, it was certain he had a relationship to one of these factions.

The general smiled and cupped his hand towards Han Li. I have heard from Mengrong that Sir Han is a cultivator. As I am but a mere mortal, how could I dare to act superior in front of you?

Of course, Han Li knew he was only being polite.

With his identity, he wouldnt find it difficult to attract the service of Core Formation cultivators but not Nascent Soul cultivators. Han Li previously revealed to Cao Mengrong that he was only at Qi Condensation stage, but this person was quite unordinary to treat a minor cultivator like Han Li with such courtesy. And it was also quite brave of him to make his way to the capital without a high-grade cultivator protecting him.

With that in mind, Han Li modestly replied, I dont dare to be presumptuous. General Wang is being far too polite. Even vagrant cultivators like me have long heard of your military prowess.

Young Miss Wang pursed her lips in a smile and said, Fellow Daoist Han, Ive heard youve given Junior Martial Sister Cao cultivation guidance for a time. As a result, she managed to raise two layers in a few short years. When my master found this out, she repeatedly praised Junior Martial Sister Caos luck and suggested that Brother Han had likely concealed his true cultivation as ordinary cultivators absolutely wouldnt be able to produce such inconceivable results. Now that Fellow Daoist Hans body is lacking spiritual Qi, it clearly shows that youve mastered a Qi restraining technique. It appears that my master had guessed correctly.

Absorbed in the joy of seeing Han Li again, Cao Mengrong then woke up and examined him to find that his body completely lacked any spiritual Qi fluctuations. With an astonished expression, she yelped, So it was like that? Brother Han, your cultivation must be…

He smiled and calmly replied, At the time, I had encountered mishap and received heavy injuries, greatly harming my cultivation as well. Ive managed to now restore it to some degree, but I hadnt intended on hiding this from Fellow Daoist Cao. It was clear he had no intention of revealing his true cultivation.

Young Miss Wang blinked and she carefully examined Han Li. As a result, she wasnt able to sense anything from Han Lis body. Despite her amazement, she sweetly smiled and said, In that case, it would be more appropriate to call Fellow Daoist Han a Senior. I hope Senior wont take offense at how Junior Martial Sister Cao treated you like an equal in the past.

Me, a Senior? Han Li shook his head. I am only a vagrant cultivator in the Great Jin and I dont care for titles. As I am indebted to Fellow Daoist Cao, it is fine for her to treat me as an equal.

When Cao Mengrong heard this, her expression wavered and then she blushed as she silently accepted Han LIs words.

The general heard their exchange and then calmly proposed, So it turned out that Sir Han was actually an expert with profound magic power. Although I am only a mortal, I do enjoy associating with cultivators. Since it seems you wish to also head to the capital, would you like to head there together?

Han Li pondered for a moment before saying, Travel together? I accept. Sorry for bothering you. He was just thinking about finding someone familiar with the Jin Capital and have them tell him about the trade meet. Now that this illustrious figure has appeared before him, he should know quite a few details despite being a mortal.

Afterwards, Han Li and the two women had a quick conversation and he found out that Cao Mengrongs father had successfully promoted from a mere county officer to a military official in the capital. Although his position wasnt higher in name, being transferred their from the outskirts of the empire was a significant rise in status.

But when her father moved to the capital, she was cultivating in sealed seclusion and hadnt traveled together with him. When her Senior Martial Sister Wang and her uncle traveled past her residence, Cao Mengrong happened to emerge from seclusion and soon after, she was travelling with them to the capital.

As for Han Li, he only mentioned a few passing words about how he spent the past, mentioning that he was recuperating from his injuries and had only recently emerged from seclusion. Of course, he hadnt gone into detail.

The two cultivators didnt ask for any further details. After all, Han Li was originally found sealed in ice and his injuries at the time were clearly heavy. They didnt appear to be something that could be healed in a few years time.

At that moment, a waiter from the tea shop brought over a pot of fine tea, and the three cultivators chattered for a moment before drinking it. frewebovel.cm

With the tea finished, General Wang finally began to talk to Han Li and mentioned a few hidden ancient records that were stored in a few of his estates. He currently didnt appear to be a hardened veteran at all but more like a studious scholar. His calm and cultured demeanor along with his friendly words gave Han Li a very favorable impression of him.

He also managed to impress General Wang in turn. Although he couldnt say that he was interested in ancient histories, he discovered many secrets as he searched through many ancient records for pill formulas and secret techniques, and he was able to closely capture the generals interest when he mentioned them.

After a few short words, they were absorbed in their conversation with another, completely tuning out the other two. When Young Miss Wang saw this, she wryly smiled at Cao Mengrong, but she was feeling somewhat gloomy.

She was well aware of her uncles interest in the secrets of the far past, as he was often immersed in collecting ancient records and antiques during his spare time. Now that the knowledgeable Senior Han had come along, it was only natural for her uncle to be absorbed in conversation with him.

Cao Mengrong didnt have any complaints about this. She simply quietly sat at the side and listened to them talk. When her gaze occasionally swept past Han Lis face, she would quickly turn her eyes away as if trying to hide her actions.

Young Miss Wang saw this with bright eyes and found her actions to be quite funny.

When she spoke with her Junior Martial Sister Cao on the way, she faintly realized that her junior martial sister had a feeling of affection for the person in front of her. Whenever she mentioned this person, she would faintly blush as if he was often on her mind.

This gave young Miss Wang the impression that Fellow Daoist Han was a handsome and confident youth as her junior martial sister wouldnt treat her martial brothers with any particular emotion. But now that she saw Han Li in person, she couldnt help but shake her head.

This vagrant cultivator was neither the handsome or confident youth that she had imagined, the only redeeming factor of his appearance was his taller than average height. Additionally, he was most likely a Foundation Establishment cultivator and should have a far greater lifespan than her junior martial sister, who had little hope of cultivating past Qi Condensation stage. They truly werent a good match.

As Young Miss Wang secretly thought this, she began to consider whether or not she should do anything to sabotage this potential relationship.

From her point of view, Han Lis cultivation was only slightly high. As the niece of the South Pillar General, it wouldnt be too difficult for her to have Han Li change his mind. If he truly refused, she could simply make a request to the two Core Formation cultivators in her estates hire and have him obediently go away.

So it was like that. In the past, heaven and earth and Ying and Yang were undergoing vast changes and created unstable spatial tears, allowing demons and devils to entering our world from others. This is the first time Ive heard of such a theory. The two Core Formation cultivators under my estate have never mentioned this to me. Brother Han is truly knowledgeable and has expanded my perspective. However, there is still something I dont understand. Ancient legends spoke of an Immortal mountain by the name Kunwu, where a celestial Immortal resided. It is said…

General Wang still spoke with excitement. After Han Li answered a question, General Wang was about to ask another when a dragons cry sounded out from Han Lis body. Although it wasnt very loud, everyone in the room could clearly hear it and they turned to look at him in surprise.

Han Lis expression vastly changed and his body flickered with blue light before disappearing out of sight.

The two women quickly looked around in surprise and discovered that Han Li had appeared outside, much to their shock. He was looking towards the sky with a grave expression.

Has something happened Fellow Daoist Han? Could it be you have a magic treasure in your body? Are you a Core Formation cultivator? Young Miss Wang asked with an astonished expression. As for Cao Mengrong, she was firmly grabbing into a scarf and her complexion paled as she silently looked at him

Han Li quickly regained his calm and then turned to the other three. Its nothing, I merely sensed an old friend of mine fly past us. Unfortunately, he flew by too quickly and I can no longer chase him. Im afraid Ive made a fool of myself in front of you. And yes, the sound was indeed caused by a flying sword I keep in my body. As my circumstances have changed, I can no longer travel together with you since I have urgent business to attend to. I will be taking my leave. He saluted them and spoke with a regretful tone.

Then without another word, he stomped down on his foot and launched himself into the air as a streak of azure light.

When the other tea shop patrons nearby saw what had happened, they quickly knelt down on the ground in the panic and began to loudly shout.

An Immortal! A great Immortal had flown past us!

They had flown near us…

For a time, an uproar spread throughout the tea shops nearby.

A day passed, and Han Li emerged from the stone room to depart from the mountain, heading to the eastern half of the Jin Empire, where the largest city of the mortal world was located the Jin Capital.

With quite a bit of time left before the trade fair started, Han Li leisurely flew at the speed of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator to avoid suspicion.

Soon, he left the Long Province and entered the neighboring territory without a problem, then taking out the Wind Riding Chariot and flying off at immense speed in a streak of white light.

As he flew, he faintly revealed the aura of his Nascent Soul cultivation and the few low-grade cultivators he occasionally flew across respectfully kept their distance.

A month later, Han Li entered the Jinjiang Province adjacent to the Jin Capital. He put away the Wind Riding Chariot and once again flew with restricted speed and aura.

After all, there were sure to be many high-grade cultivators in the heartland of the Great Jin Empire. He didnt wish to attract unnecessary attention.

…

Two weeks later, Han Li was wearing azure Confucian robes as he rode on a worn cart pulled by a sickly old horse.

At that moment, he was sitting at the front of the raggedy cart and his body shook along with it. His eyes were half closed as if he were nodding off. In truth, he was secretly refining the Soul Snow Pill 1 he took from several days before.

After he emerged from the spatial pocket in Devilfall Valley, he had already taken over a dozen of them.

The pill was worthy of being from antiquity. He clearly sensed an enhanced purity in the Celestial Ice Flames and Six-winged Frost Centipedes glacial Qi that he previously refined. Even the trace of impurities that remained in the Purple Apex Flames began to slowly disappear, producing a significant increase in their potency.

It was only quite unfortunate that the medicine pill wasnt easy to consume. Each one would take anywhere from three to four months to refine inside of him, much to Han Lis disappointment. If he was able to consume a pill every month, he reckoned that in a hundred years time, his Purple Apex Flames could reach the legendary stage of sealing a thousand kilometers of land in ice.

That being said, the Purple Apex Flames currently was no lesser than the peak techniques of the Devil and Righteous Dao. There didnt seem to be an ability that would able to truly restrain them.

As for why Han Li was travelling across the land on this worn carriage, it was because the Jin Capital was the mortal capital of the empire. The Great Jin cultivation world had an unwritten rule that forbade combat and flying five hundred kilometers within the Jin Capital, signifying a trace of respect towards the Great Jins imperial government as cultivators and mortals had a certain degree of codependency in the Great Jin. However, Nascent Soul and even Core Formation cultivators skilled in evasion techniques would turn a blind eye to this rule.

After all, as the only ones patrolling the Jin Capital were often vagrant cultivators hired by the Great Jins imperial government, their cultivation usually wouldnt be very high. So long as they didnt discover anybody violating the rules or didnt brazenly fly at low altitudes in plain sight, they often wouldnt raise a problem.

Han Li also viewed this rule with disregard, but because he had ample time and wished to finish refining a Snow Soul Pill, he dropped to a small village a hundred kilometers away and bought an old horse and cart before leisurely making his way to the capital.

Han Li encountered a few low-grade cultivators along the way that were using horseback and carriages to head towards the capital. However, he didnt wish to be disturbed and completely restrained his magic power, making himself appear like an ordinary mortal. As a result, none of these low-grade cultivators had bothered Han Li in the slightest.

And because his cart wasnt going particularly fast, he had been passed by at least ten different caravans. Though Han Li simply minded his own business on the road as he refined a Soul Snow Pill, he frowned when heard a storm of thunderous horse hooves in the distance.

With an unchanged expression, he opened his eyes and pulled at the reigns in his lap. The old horse obediently pulled over the cart to the side of the road.

Han Li lazily turned his head over and saw a cloud of dust surging from behind him. There were banners fluttering within the dust as if in a display of might.

As the dust cloud approached him, he could faintly see cavalrymen clad in silver armor within them, each of them with bows hanging on their backs and sabers on their waist.

These soldiers appeared rough and weathered, and they were led by a middle-aged man wearing embroidered robes and a longsword at his waist. He carried a large banner at his back with the word King boldly written on it. At the middle of the cavalrymen, there were several jade carriages faintly shining with spiritual light, being swiftly pulled by many fine steeds. The carriages didnt appear to be shaking despite the great speed they were travelling at.

Magic tools? When Han Li saw the carriages, his eyes turned wide with astonishment. He swept his spiritual sense past them and found all carriages were filled with luggage apart from one that carried the faint aura of cultivators. Although the aura was quite weak, it was quite surprising for common cultivators to mingle amongst these soldiers.

He then pulled at his reigns and had his cart come to a complete stop, yielding to the group.

The army of cavalrymen appeared to number about four hundred, but when they passed him by, they seemed to shake his cart in a storm of wind produced by their astonishing momentum.

Han Lis eyes flickered and noticed that these cavalrymen all carried baleful Qi on their body, from fighting presumably. These werent ordinary city guards, but rather frontier vanguards that would often take part in bloody melees.

He heard that the Great Jin were bordered by other unsavory civilizations in the southeast and northwest and that mortal natives would often wage war with them. Only true bloodied soldiers would appear in these chaotic areas.

Just as Han Li thought this, the jade carriages passed him by. Someone within one of the carriages happened to catch sight of him from the windows narrow opening and they let out a slight yelp.

Han Li seemed surprised by this reaction and he couldnt help but raise his head, catching sight of a pair of eyes that seemed familiar. Just as he wondered who that person was, they had already traveled into the distance.

After observing the squad of soldiers that passed him, Han Li grew pensive and eventually shook his head, abandoning his thoughts of searching the carriage with his spiritual sense. The carriage had a few simple isolation restrictions placed on it, and he would be detected by whoever was inside if he attempted to pry. Additionally, they were cultivators only at the Qi Condensation cultivation. He didnt want to be bothered because of a few low-grade cultivators.

After seeing the cavalrymen travel far into the distance, Han Li resumed his journey on the main road.

He traveled for five kilometers before he arrived at an intersection in the road. A large verdant forest grew at the side of the road and there were a few simple tea shops that were set up next to it. There were many carriages that had stopped here, whose owners entered these simple shops for tea and food.

After all, this place was the sole stop before one would arrive inside the Jin Capital. Most travellers would stop by for a moment of rest.

Han Lis gaze swept around and saw that the silver-armored cavalrymen had dismounted from their horses and were resting at the side of the forest. The several jade carriages had stopped as well, but one of them was opened and empty. As for the silver-robed middle-aged man in charge, he was also absent.

Han Li frowned and unconsciously swept his spiritual sense past the many tea shops nearby. Soon after, he urged his horse to continue on the road.

But at that moment, one of the soldiers saw his cart and walked towards him in stride, blocking the cart to Han Lis surprise.

The cavalryman saluted him and asked with a neutral tone, Young Sir, are you surnamed Han?

Thats right. My surname is Han. Do you have any business with me?

Since it truly is Young Sir Han, my clans young mistress would like to have a chat with you over some tea.

Recalling the pair of bright eyes he saw earlier from the jade carriage and pondering for a moment, Han Li nodded, Your clans young mistress? Oh… Alright, Ill go.

Young Sir, my clans young miss is in the tea shop over there. Please follow me. The soldier spoke in a deep voice and beckoned to the side of the forest. Then, two other soldiers came over and took care of Han Lis cart.

A short moment later, Han Li entered the shop and came across two women and one man. The man was the embroidered-robed middle-aged man he saw from before. He had long facial hair and a calm, powerful demeanor. As for the other two young women, they were cultivators at the seventh and fifth layer of Qi Condensation. reeebnovel.om

The man remained motionless at Han Lis entrance, but when the two women saw Han Li enter, they exchanged a glance. The woman with the lesser cultivation bit her lip and then spoke with some joy, Brother Han, it has been many years since Ive seen you! I didnt think Id be able to meet you again. I will never forget the kindness you showed me with your cultivation guidance.

Surprised, Han Li smiled and said, So it was Young Miss Cao. This is truly a coincidence. I hope you didnt take offense at my sudden departure.

This woman was the county officers daughter, Cao Mengrong, who he had met when he entered the Great Jin several years prior.

Im sure Senior Han had urgent business at the time, so I could hardly blame you. Ah, thats right, I should introduce you. This is Senior Martial Sister Wang. She had taken care of me when I was still in my sect. We are nearly as close as blood sisters. And this is Senior Martial Sister Wangs uncle, a general renowned as the illustrious pillar of the southern empire. He has received orders to pay audience to the emperor.

1 An ancient pill formula that requires equivalently ancient and rare medicine herbs. In Chapter 856, Han Li finds these herbs in a spatial pocket in Devilfall Valley. They are able to enhance the glacial power of a cultivators ice techniques .

The masked cultivator let out a dry laugh and spoke with a fearful tone, Fellow Daoist Sun, youve arrived quickly, but Im afraid youve found the wrong person. I was only chasing after a demon beast and had mistakenly entered your mountain range. I also witnessed the uproar of low-grade demon beasts and was trying to find the cause of it as well.

As purple light covered the old womans face, she snorted and spoke with an imposing voice, You were chasing a demon beast? Does Fellow Daoist Ma think that Ive gone senile? Youre a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator well known throughout the empire for your movement techniques. What beast would have you pursue it to our Heavenpeak Mountain Range? Ive already searched the area of over a hundred kilometers around us, and apart from you, I wasnt able to find any other cultivators that were capable of what had just happened.

What happened? Could it be that the demon beast uproar damaged the High Sun Palace in some manner? I respect late-Nascent Soul seniors such as yourself as shown from my politeness, but I cant help but think that youre framing me. Although I might not prove to be your opponent, Im not helpless either. There are a few disciples in my sect that know I entered the Heavenpeak Mountain Range. Itd be better for you to give it another thought before you provoke a war between the Righteous and Devilish Dao. Although the masked cultivator appeared fearful at the idea of a fight, he was unyielding and golden light began to shine from his eyes.

The old woman narrowed her eyes and after a long while, she coldly asked, You truly didnt do it?

The masked man relaxed after hearing her and he assumed a submissive attitude. If Fellow Daoist Sun needs me to, I can swear a devilheart oath, but I still dont know what happened to your sect.

The old womans expression relaxed and said, Fellow Daoist doesnt need to swear an oath. You shouldnt be the one who did it. With your position in the Devilwood Sect, you wouldnt have done something disgraceful of your rank. Besides, Ive never heard that you have the abilities to attract demon beasts. But since your esteemed self came over to our Heavenpeak Mountain Range to find a demon beast, it must be quite rare. How about you tell me about it?

Knowing that he had to tell the truth to free himself of suspicion, he hastily explained, The demon beast is truly rare, but I fear it isnt nearly on the same level as your sects Vast Yang Bird. It was an Armored Earth Dragon that had just ascended to grade seven. I discovered it in a mountain in the adjacent province, but it was extremely clever and was proficient in earth movement techniques. Ive chased it for nearly a week before arriving here.

A grade seven Armored Earth Dragon!? the old woman shouted in astonishment, That truly is a rare demon beast, especially one at such a high grade. It is no wonder why Fellow Daoist Ma was so rash. Now that Fellow Daoist had departed, does that mean you had captured it? Ive long heard of the beasts fame, but Ive never been able to see it with my own eyes. Could you give me a look?

I fear I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Sun. In the demon beast uproar, my secret technique suddenly lost effect and I could no longer track the beast down. But…

But? A glint appeared in the old womans eyes.

But just as I was looking for the beast, I saw a streak of azure light pierce through the sky. It was rather quick and didnt appear to belong to a cultivator from your palace. I reckon they had something to do with the strange uproar in the mountain range. I was thinking about pursuing them and figuring out what had happened, but it were too fast. I lost sight of it after a moment. Then, Fellow Daoist Sun found me. The masked man let out a wry laugh.

The old womans expression stirred and she quickly asked, An azure streak…and you said that they were just here? Which direction did they go?

The masked cultivator blinked and calmly answered, They flew out of the mountain range. With your abilities, you might be able to pursue them.

With a new trail acquired, she quickly uttered, Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Ma. I will be taking a look for myself. And since that Armored Earth Dragon disappeared, you should leave the mountain range as well. Our sects and allegiances are at odds and have their own territories. When I return, I dont want to you see lingering here. Then she took off in a stream of golden light.

When the masked man saw her fade into the horizon, he let out a sneer and muttered, That old witch is as hard to deal with as the rumors said. After she acquired the information she wanted, she immediately turned hostile. Our sects are at odds? Hah, you just want to take the Armored Earth Dragon for yourself! If I sensed it correctly, that azure streak should have something to do with the disappearance of the Armored Earth Dragon. And the speed was no less than a late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator, it wont be easy to chase them down. She also appeared quite flustered when she arrived as if that other cultivator had made the High Sun Palace suffer quite a bit. What a happy affair.

He then lowered his head to look at the spirit beast pouch at his waist. With a smile, he muttered, Although its not the Armored Earth Dragon, I did acquire a Blackblood Spider, making the trip quite worth it. That dragons appearance was rather convenient for that person. He drove it mad using some unknown method.

The masked man suddenly raised his head and then muttered, Actually, it must have been a method of attracting demon beasts. Ill have to quickly report this to Senior Martial Brother Mu. After looking around him one last time, he surrounded himself in green light and tore through the skies.

The old woman surnamed Sun flew out for nearly half a day and continuously swept her spiritual sense past thousands of kilometers, but she hadnt discovered anything suspicious. Helpless, she could only return and quickly suppressed information of what had happened. If the other sects found out, the High Sun Palace would become a laughingstock.

Fortunately, the person who acted against the Vast Yang Bird only took away its tail feathers instead of killing it. Given thirty years and many spirit medicines, it should fully recover its strength. As a result, she could only bottle up her grievances, but in private, she had dispatched a small group of elite disciples to investigate if there were Nascent Soul-stage eccentrics that were looking to refine a treasure that used the Vast Yang Birds feathers.

In addition to gaining revenge for the spirit bird, she also wanted to find this person to acquire the method to attract demon beasts. If she could obtain it, taming demon beasts or acquiring their cores would be a simple and easy matter.

Of course, she wasnt the only one with that in mind. The Devilwood Sect had also sent out many of their own disciples to see if any unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivators had recently appeared near the Long Province.

The hidden actions of the provinces two superpowers frightened a few of the shrewder clans and sects in the region. They all guessed that the balance of the region would soon collapse, and that war between the two great sects would occur.

As various smaller powers were panicking, forming alliances, and withdrawing from the region, the atmosphere of the entire Long Province grew tense.

Of course, Han Li had no idea that his actions would provoke such an outcome. At that moment, he had established a temporary stone room on top of a nameless mountain to examine the spoils he acquired, the five near-illusory flaming feathers.

In a rather good mood, Monarch Soul Divergence idly said, The woman who chased you at the end shouldve been the High Sun Palaces late-Nascent Soul cultivator. While her cultivation was exceptional, her spiritual sense was rather ordinary and she wasnt able to detect you after you restrained your Qi. Else, it couldve proven quite troublesome.

Han Li chuckled and said, At worst, Id only have to use Bloodshadow Evasion once. I dont believe there is another sacred beast incarnation in this world that I could run into. However, I did have no choice but to hide. That old woman cultivated a movement technique that was quite faster than mine.

Of course, and it also appears the risks you took have paid off. Not only have you acquired this many flame feathers, but a rare Armored Earth Dragon as well! If you can tame it, there will be a high chance to acquire other worldly treasures in the future. Monarch Soul Divergence said with satisfaction.

Thats right, but this demon beast is fully grown. How can it be easily tamed? Ill only be able to succeed due to luck.

It is no matter. Taming a fully grown demon beast actually isnt as difficult as one would imagine. Highly intelligent ones are particularly easy to tame. Monarch Soul Divergence spoke with a calm tone filled with experience.

Han Li raised his brow and revealed a trace of surprise. Oh, so it was like that?

Youll find out. From how intelligent this Armored Earth Dragon appears, it shouldnt be too difficult to tame.

I hope so, Han Li chuckled, But I had better first wear down the beasts temper and then find a better time to tame it. First, Ill handle these flame feathers and then head to the Jin Capitals trade fair. Its time to see what the greatest city in the Jin Empire is like.

Ive visited the Jin Capital once in the past. Although it was a city of mortals, it was quite imposing and unordinary. Monarch Soul Divergence praised.

I want to see the Jin Capital even more now. Fortunately, were not too far away. Treating the feathers should only take a day. Three months should be more than enough time for me to arrive. Han Li calmly said.

Following a flash of azure light, all but one of the feathers disappeared without a trace.

Han Li flung the remaining feather in the air, breathing a cloud of azure Nascent Flame upon it. Suddenly, the feather lit up in a gorgeous display of blue and red light.

He then shut his eyes and sat down cross-legged as he grasped his hands in an incantation gesture and sank into meditation.

Han Li found two overbearing presences appear in front of the valley.

The fireball faintly contained the silhouette of a bird.

As for the ball of yellow light, it appeared to be a demon beast rolled up in a ball. Its body was covered in a thick tough yellow hide. It was wrinkled and folded as if it were a layer of armor. And from within its fat body poked out a sharp rats head and a slender tail, it appeared to be a huge demon mouse variant.

What manner of strange demon beast is this? Han Li asked.

An Armored Earth Dragon, what an extremely rare spirit beast! Monarch Soul Divergence shouted with delight, Its widely known for its defensive prowess and ability to find treasures. It is fortunate that it has appeared before you!

Oh, its that beast? I had a feeling I recognized it.

As soon as Han Li spoke, the two demon beasts charged into the valleys white mist one after another, aiming to acquire the Rainbow Skirt Grass underneath within.

In response, he summoned a green formation plate into his hand. With a slap, the plate glowed with bright light, raising the outermost layers of the valleys restrictions and trapping the Vast Yang Bird in the lead. The ball of yellow light hastily followed after it, but was blocked once the spell formation was activated.

The Armored Earth Dragon was furiously alarmed from the sudden obstruction and its body shimmered with yellow light, expanding to the size of twenty-four meters. Layers upon layers of grey plate emerged from its body, and it rolled into a ball before fiercely knocking against the barrier. reeebnovel.om

With a huge bang, the strike destroyed the two outermost layers of the restrictions. After a pause, the beast continued to strike away at the remaining restrictions.

This short delay gave Han Li ample time to restrain the Vast Yang Bird.

After the bird collided against the restrictions, it waved its wings and scattered scarlet fireballs all around it, dispersing most of the mist below it and revealing the forest filled with blooming peach trees. With a quick scan of its eyes, it quickly spotted Han Li and the source of its bewitchment, the Rainbow Skirt Grass.

Even without a fully developed intelligence, Han Lis unconcealed mid-Nascent Soul cultivation invoked fear in the bird. It circled above, not daring to stoop too low, but unable to escape the incredibly powerful enticement of the Rainbow Skirt Grass.

As the bird hesitated, Han Li expressionlessly raised his hand and a black talisman shot out. In a flicker of black light, the talisman turned into a black ghost claw and reached out to grab the Vast Yang Bird.

The bird was deeply shocked and without another thought, it released over thirty fist-sized fireballs with a flap of its wings. They ruptured against the ghost claw, covering the black light with raging inferno and disabling it for the time being.

Astonished, Han Li soon formed an incantation gesture with his hands and silver wings emerged from his back.

With a ring of thunder, he disappeared without a trace, followed by his reappearance in a flash of silver light ten meters above the birds head. He then clapped his hands together with a gloomy expression before separating them to release two dense bolts of golden lightning from his palms, only for them to rupture midair and form a huge net of lightning.

Devoting its attention on blocking the black ghost claw, the Vast Yang Bird was completely caught off guard, and was trapped underneath the cackling net of lightning.

In a panic, it shook its body to shed off a few of its feathers, turning into a dense fiery blaze that struck the net of lightning, followed by a chain of explosions.

A cold glint appeared in Han Lis eyes when he saw this and he shook his wrist, uttering, Restrain.

The large net of lightning wildly flashed and pushed against the flames as it closed in. In a brilliant display of golden light, the Vast Yang Bird was restrained by the thick, dense net of lightning. No matter how hard it attempted to escape, it couldnt make the slightest movement, causing it to let out a defeated cry.

Han Li smiled in joy at the sight of this, but at that moment, he heard a huge explosion from above him.

He raised his head in shock and saw that the Armored Earth Dragon had finally broken through the layer of the restrictions he placed around the valley. He had to admit, his hastily placed spell formations were truly too weak to hold against a grade seven demon beast.

The dragon had uncurled itself from its armored ball state and charged into the valley, catching sight of Han Li and the Vast Yang Bird restricted in a prison of golden lightning. Its pair of small emerald eyes flickered about and a clear expression of fear could be seen from its face.

When Han Li saw this, his heart stirred. The Armored Earth Dragon appeared quite intelligent.

In spite of its fear, a trace of cunning was betrayed from its eyes when it saw the Rainbow Skirt Grass on the ground. It shot towards the ground in a flicker of yellow light.

Stop it! It is capable of earth evasion techniques. You wont have a chance of capturing it once it reaches the ground. Monarch Soul Divergence warned.

Dont worry, Ive already made arrangements, Han Li replied with a calm smile.

When the dragon arrived on the ground and saw that there was nothing protecting the Rainbow Skirt Grass, it gleefully pounced towards it with a wide open mouth.

But in that instant, twelve streaks of sparkling icy Qi suddenly shot out from the ground surrounding the grass.

Well into the air, it was too slow to react and couldnt avoid being struck by the icy Qi, sealing it in a layer of ice.

White light flickered from the ground to reveal twelve half-foot-long snow-white centipedes. Icy Qi trailed from their mouths.

When Monarch Soul Divergence saw the frozen beast, he chuckled and said, So you had your centipedes stationed around it. I had worried for nothing.

The Armored Earth Dragon was quite durable and hardy, but it wasnt enough to protect against the combined frost Qi of twelve Six-winged Frost Centipedes. It was no surprise the ambush was effective.

Han Li indifferently said, I set them there just in case. I hadnt expected that they would come across an Armored Earth Dragon.

With that said, he blurred and appeared behind the Vast Yang Bird, his eyes focused on the many of its tail feathers. He smiled at the bird and said, I know you should be able intelligent enough to understand a few of my words. I have no intention of harming you, so would you rather release your tail feathers, or have me rip them off?

The Vast Yang Bird clearly understood him. Its body trembled in response and it fiercely screeched in a display of unwilling resentment.

Han Lis expression turned sullen and he coldly snorted. Without another word, he wrapped azure light around his hand and reached towards the birds rear.

A trace of fear appeared on the birds eyes. Helpless, it could only shake all of its tail feathers off in a flicker of red light. These feathers were linked to its bodys essence and blood vessels. If they were forcefully pulled out, its body would suffer quite a bit of damage. If it took the initiative to abandon them, it would still suffer a loss of strength, but it could avoid unnecessary injuries.

Han Li was delighted to see this, and he caught all of the feathers in his hand. Then, he took out a jade box he had prepared and quickly placed them inside. With the lid of the box sealed with several talismans, he carefully put it away in his storage pouch.

With that done, he placed his hand on top of the Vast Yang Birds head and poured a bit of spiritual power into it, knocking it unconscious.

He let out a smile and turned his attention to the frozen Armored Earth Dragon

Although the demon beast was trapped in a thick layer of ice, it was still conscious. As such, its small eyes betrayed terror when it saw that Han Li had turned his attention toward him.

Han Li then flew down in a streak of azure light.

…

A quarter hour later, a band of brilliant gold light arrived above the valley at the speed of lightning. It circled once in the air before fading away to reveal the old purple-robed woman that was previously in the High Sun Palaces secret hall. At her side stood an extremely solemn Fang Chu, who stifled his breath in an attempt to attract less attention.

At that moment, the restrictions covering the blooming peach tree forest in the valley had completely disappeared. There was simply an unconscious Vast Yang Bird that had its tail feathers plucked lying beneath a tree.

When the old woman saw this, she swept her spiritual sense across it in alarm. Although she found that the bird had suffered a loss in strength from its missing tail feathers, she grew relaxed. But after she took another look at the birds rear, anger bloomed in her heart.

Take a look at the bird and see if you can awaken it, the old woman commanded with a serious tone.

When Fang Chu heard this, he repeatedly nodded in a display of complete obedience and hurriedly flew down. If it werent for the High Sun Palaces Ancestor finding him along the way, he wouldnt have been able to reach this location at this speed.

The old woman was looking around her, and with some thought, she closed her eyes and slowly released her spiritual sense to search for the impudent culprit of this act.

A short moment later, her expression changed as if she suddenly found something. She hurriedly barked orders to Fang Chu down below and hurriedly flew off in a golden streak of light.

Once she was over a hundred kilometers away, she stopped a strange looking cultivator that was about to leave the mountain range.

Brimming with suspicious, the old woman coldly asked, Look who Ive found, its Fellow Daoist Ma of the Devilwood Sect. Why arent you peacefully cultivating at your sect? Why have you stealthily arrived at our Heavenpeak Mountain Range? Was the demon beasts uproar your doing?

She was speaking to a masked yellow-robed cultivator. His eyes had an inhuman golden glow.

Three days passed, and Han Li stirred awake from meditation.

He raised his head toward the night sky and a moonlight stone appeared in his hand. He flung it into the air and sparkles of moonlight illuminated the nearby peach trees.

Without the slightest noise, he then took out a meter chunk of red coral and tossed it down before planting Rainbow Skirt Grass on top of it.

This is the method that youve prepared? Although he had seen Han Li feed the Gold Devouring Beetles with the grass to miraculous effect, he was very baffled to see it used now. freewebnovel.c

When Han Li heard this question, he smiled and said, In truth, this grass has another name the Demonlure Grass. Senior should know what I plan on using it for.

Demonlure Grass? Could it be… Monarch Soul Divergence suddenly dawned with realization.

Thats right. In six days, the smaller Vast Yang Bird will be released, and the grass will bloom as well, releasing its bewitching scent. When the time comes… Han Li coldly snickered.

…

Fang Chu was mid-Foundation Establishment High Sun Palace cultivator. There were nearly a thousand of his kind that could be found in the entirety of the sect. It was reasonable to say that he was an unremarkable character, but in truth, this was quite the opposite. Let alone other Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Core Formation-stage martial seniors had to treat him politely, and even when benefits arose in the palace, he would be the first Foundation Establishment disciple to be considered.

Fang Chus unusually high standing in the High Sun Palace was something he was rather proud of, though this was all due to his duties as the caretaker for the sects smaller Vast Yang Bird.

He possessed an innate special ability to communicate with birds, and were it not for this rare and irreplaceable talent, he wouldnt have been assigned this task.

After all, as the birds caretaker, he had a certain degree of control over it, something that was heavily valued by the sect.

Although this was the weaker of the two sects Vast Yang Birds, it was still able to easily defeat late-Core Formation cultivators and directly pursue Nascent Soul cultivators. It was no wonder the bird was held with such reverence.

Over the thirty years Fang Chu had cared for the bird, he would stay next to it at all times, even cut his cultivation time to follow after the spirit bird when it would liberate its wings, during which not a single problem arose. As this was only another routine flight, he didnt feel the need to be worried. With the surrounding fifty thousand kilometers of the Heavenpeak Mountain Range were all under the control of the High Sun Palace, what could possibly happen?

With those leisurely thoughts in mind, he distantly followed after the Vast Yang Bird on an early morning.

The Vast Yang Bird was only about three meters long, but its long tail feathers made up over half of its length. From a distance, the bird appeared like a huge peacock, but there wasnt one with such beautiful fire-red feathers.

The bird was ecstatic. After it was released from the restrictions of the High Sun Palace, it flapped its fire-red wings and continuously flew circles in the sky to ensure no one was following it.

With ordinary methods, Fang Chu wouldnt have been able to conceal himself from the birds spiritual sense, but he was using a Qi Concealment Talisman that the sect had specially refined. As such, he was able to follow after the bird without any fear of being discovered in spite his shallow cultivation.

When the bird let out a clear cry, Fang Chu wore a knowing smile. He had spent a long time with it and knew the Vast Yang Bird was extremely happy at the moment. After this trip, the bird would be docile for the next half month.

As a result, the bird calmly circled the sky above the High Sun Palace for a long while before flying away.

Fang Chu didnt feel the slightest concern. As per its usual habits, the bird would fly a large circle around the sect before turning satisfied. As it was a leisurely flight, he could follow after it.

But after fifteen kilometers, there was a sudden change in course.

The Vast Yang Bird suddenly stopped in its delighted flight with a harsh shriek.

Fang Chu was stunned when he heard this. Before he realized what had happened, he saw the bird quickly spreading out its wings and its body combusted, surrounding itself in a meter layer of scarlet flames. Several blurs later, it was already over a kilometer away.

Fang Chu was shocked to the core when he saw this. By the time he recollected himself, he hastily took out a jade tile and poured all of his spiritual sense into it. It promptly released a strange birdsong in an attempt to call the bird back.

The Vast Yang Bird heard it and hesitated for a moment, only to noisily caw before disappearing off into the horizon.

When Fang Chu saw this, his face turned bloodlessly pale and he simply floated in the air, bewildered at what to do.

But soon, he thought of something and took out a sound transmission talisman from his storage pouch before he hastily shouted something. Then, he flung the charm into the air and it streaked back in fiery light towards the direction of the High Sun Palace.

He gritted his teeth and set off in the direction that the Vast Yang Bird disappeared in. Despite knowing that it was useless for him to pursue it, if he was waiting idly when his Martial Ancestor found him, he would be severely punished.

As Fang Chu hurriedly gave chase, the other spirit beasts in the Heavenpeak Mountain Range let out an uproar.

…

In the northern part of the mountain range, many low-grade High Sun Palace disciples were strenuously attempting to hold down the huge vultures they were riding. The riders had suddenly lost control of these low-grade spirit birds as they attempted to take off in a different direction and soon, all of them were drenched in their own sweat in their efforts to keep control of their mad steeds.

…

In a hidden cave at the edge of the mountain range, there was a masked cultivator in yellow-green robes. He was holding down a black, foot-long spider with a large hand made of green light. He looked at the enraged, snarling spider with complete confusion.

…

On South Heaven Peak, inside a concealed hall in the High Sun Palace, an old woman wearing purple robes was stroking the sects other Vast Yang Bird, an exact copy of the other bird apart from its larger size.

It had suddenly grown restless without warning. Were it not for her excessive use of spell seals to pacify the bird, it wouldve flown out from the hall. She couldnt help but wear an odd expression in response.

…

Fang Chu used his magic power without reserve as he gave chase. The Vast Yang Bird had already disappeared without a trace, but the jade medallion in his hand was able to sense the birds location so long as it was within the Heavenpeak Mountain Range.

But just after he gave pursuit, he discovered something incredibly shocking. He saw a few low-grade demon beasts emerge from well-hidden burrows and flew off in the same direction as the Vast Yang Bird with reckless abandon.

In a short amount of time, it formed a wave of demon beasts, some of which were rarely ever seen. However, Feng Chu had nothing to fear as the sects high-grade cultivators had already eliminated all high-grade demon beasts from the mountain that could pose a threat to the Vast Yang Birds.

Regardless, Fang Chu felt even more uneasy after seeing that the mountain beasts had also lost control.

…

In a hidden valley, thousands of kilometers away, Han Li was sitting cross-legged on the ground. There was a chunk of coral in front of him along with Rainbow Skirt Grass wrapped in red light.

At that moment, Han Lis attention wasnt focused on the grass, but the situation outside of the peach tree forest inside the valley.

Several tens of low-grade spirit beasts had already gathered near the valleys restrictions, attempting to break through with all their power for the six-leaved Rainbow Skirt Grass inside.

Han Li was truly surprised by the number of low-grade spirit beasts in the Heavenpeak Mountain Range. However, he didnt pay them much regard and instead closed his eyes, facing the direction of the High Sun Palace.

He reckoned the potency of the Rainbow Skirt Grass would be enough to lure that grade seven bird over. Furthermore, its speed should be much faster than ordinary magic treasures. It shouldnt be long before it arrives.

Shortly after, Han Lis calm expression stirred and he opened his eyes. With a hand gesture and a snort, he suddenly released several magic seals from his hands, activating the outermost illusion formation in the valley. A layer of white light promptly emerged from the ground and instantly concealed the forest from view.

At that moment, the wild and savage roars could be heard along with the clear cry of a bird. A huge yellow ball of light and a scarlet fireball simultaneously arrived above the valley, clearly bewitched by the Rainbow Skirt Grass.

When Han Li saw this, he let out a yelp and revealed an astonished expression.

The Long Province was a large province located on the western portion of the Jin Empire. It has tall and expansive mountains, areas filled with toxic miasma, and venomous animals of all kinds.

This province was different from other areas of the empire. Only the illustrious Righteous Dao Sect the High Sun Palace and one of the ten great devilish sects the Devilwood Sect ruled over this large area. No external powers were able to involve themselves with the province.

As native cultivation factions only consisted of small sects and schools, they werent able to pose the slightest threat to these two vast and powerful sects, and were forced to subject themselves under the control of either sect for protection. As a result, the region was split into the west and east.

In the west was the Heavenpeak Mountain Range where the High Sun Palace ruled. The mountain range spanned over a hundred thousand kilometers of wilderness. The palace was located on a mountain named South Sky Mountain at the very center of the mountain range. Tens of thousands of the sects disciples resided in the various mountains nearby. With the addition of the surrounding mountains acting as a natural fortress, no cultivators dared to attack the High Sun Palace. Even particularly reckless individuals were unable to break through the grand spell formation surrounding the mountain which consisted of thirteen layers of fearsome restrictions.

But one day, when a group of High Sun Palace disciples flew out from the Heavenpeak Mountain Range, an azure streak suddenly flashed from the top of an unknown mountain nearby. There was an azure-robed youth that stood on a huge boulder with his hands held behind his back. He was silently staring at the group of disciples from behind.

Monarch Soul Divergence voice echoed through the youths mind, Youngster Han, do you truly plan on acting against the High Sun Palace? The sect is amongst the top sects of the ten great righteous sects of the Jin Empire. It doesnt seem wise to provoke them.

Han Li indifferently said, I know, but weve already collected most the materials we need for the Triflame Fan. Now, we are only missing the Vast Yang Birds plume feather and the Scarlet Fire Flood Dragons scales. We already acquired information from the market city that many ferocious flood dragons have begun devouring cultivators on the eastern coast of the Jin Empire, and there seemed to be a red flood dragon amongst them. Even if it isnt the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, we may as well try our luck and see if it is another fire-attribute flood dragon. As for the Vast Yang Bird, weve looked through all the markets in the south to find that only the High Sun Palace raised it. Where else would we get its plume feather? I have no choice but to risk provoking them.

Im not telling you that you shouldnt steal the plume, but why dont you deal with them out in the open instead? With your current mid-Nascent Soul cultivation and the rare treasures in your possession, they might be willing to sell it with consideration of your might. Monarch Soul Divergence said with a chuckle.

Han Li let out a cold laugh and said, Stop joking, Senior. An exchange will require both sides to have nearly equivalent strength. I am only a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator and they have a late-Nascent Soul cultivator in their ranks. How could a Junior like me catch their attention? Furthermore, the High Sun Palaces two Vast Yang Birds are considered a legacy of theirs. They wouldnt allow me to pluck its feather and cause a great decrease in its cultivation. If I brought out lowly treasures, they wouldnt be valuable enough to be worthy of their consideration, but if I brought out rare treasures instead, they would be tempted to kill me over it. Since I am a mere vagrant cultivator, they dont need to give me much consideration given the scope of their power. I am not willing to risk my safety over their whims. If I were a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, I might be willing to give it a try.

Monarch Soul Divergence pondered in silence for a spell and said, Your words are reasonable. However, youve been wandering around the edge of the mountain range for over ten days. Could it be youre waiting for a Vast Yang Bird to fly out? But from your actions, it also seems like youre looking for something. Just what are you planning?

Han Lis eyes wavered and he smiled, saying, Its nothing. Im only finding a suitable place to put down a trap.

Set up a trap? Since you dared to act against the High Sun Palace, it is right to be stealthy. Tell me about your plans.

Han Li glanced at the heart of the mountain range and chuckled, Wait until I find a suitable location and Ill tell you about it in detail. They have a larger and a smaller Vast Yang Bird. I wonder which one is more suitable to trap.

Monarch Soul Divergence lazily asked, Whats the point of talking about it? I hear the larger Vast Yang Bird is a grade-eight demon bird. Do you think youll be able to capture it in a short amount of time?

Han Li pondered for a moment and then nodded, Thats right. The only reason why birds of antiquity would remain under the control of the High Sun Palace is because their intelligence is difficult to awaken and they are unable to take human form in the mortal realm. I hear the smaller of the two birds should be weaker by an entire grade so it should be easier to deal with.

With a regretful tone, Monarch Soul Divergence mentioned, But if you use the plume of the grade-eight Vast Yang Bird to refine the Triflame Fan, its might would be even greater.

Han Li shook his head, Forget it. Nothing in this world is perfect. It is simply too dangerous to deal with the grade-eight Vast Yang Bird. In the extra time it would take, I fear I would alarm many High Sun Palace disciples. I dont want to repeat what happened in the Soaring Sky Plains.

Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled, Yes, that sounds right. But regardless of their size, they will only occasionally fly out from the High Sun Palace. How do you plan on capturing one of the birds?

Han Li coldly smiled and said, Dont worry. Ive already used the Dreamtear Technique on one of their disciples. Fearing that the birds would become difficult to control in prolonged confinement, the sect releases the birds every month to stretch their wings. This will be our opportunity to act.

Since you already know this, there is no use for any of my advice. However, you mustnt take too long and miss the trade fair at the Jin Empires capital city. It should have many materials that Im missing for my puppet body. Monarch Soul Divergence warned.

The capital trade fair is one of the three great trade fairs in the Jin Empire and only occurs once every ten years. I wouldnt want to miss it in any case. When this is done, Ill hurry over to the empire capital and afterwards, well have to find those flood dragons on the empires east shore. Han Li said his future plans with a calm tone.

That will do. But nevertheless, your recent actions have earned my respect. I originally believed you would need at least four years in order to reach your current collection of materials. I didnt think that youd be able to effectively tackle the problem from two angles. With your hidden and open methods, you were able to gather most of the items you needed in only a single year. Tch tch, your decisiveness to act are beyond my expectations. It was clear from Monarch Soul Divergences voice that he was greatly satisfied with Han Lis methods.

Han Li paused for a moment as his expression stirred. He then said, I also wished to use a slower, more reliable method to look for materials, but time was limited. Although Seniors primal soul has the support of the Soul Nurturing Wood, its effects are clearly too weak. If I wish to create your Nascent Soul-grade puppet body, Ill need to be as quick as possible.

After a wry chuckle, Monarch Soul Divergence helplessly said, So you were being considerate. I knew I couldnt hide it from you. I can only last three or four years at most. My primal soul is on the verge of scattering. But at the speed that youre collecting materials, I have high hopes my puppet body will be refined before I reincarnate.

After letting out a long sigh, Han Li said with a serious tone, Ever since Ive met Senior, youve helped me many times. Im not a heartless person and Ive committed these acts of kindness to memory. I will do my utmost to fulfill your dreams.

Deeply touched, Monarch Soul Divergence also let out a sigh and honestly said, In truth, I was only helping you in self preservation. After all, if I were to fall into someone elses hands, I feared that nothing good would come of it.

Han Li smiled and in a flash of azure light, his body disappeared in the wind.

…

Two days later, Han Li discovered a small valley filled with peach trees. The valley was stained pink from the blooming peach blossoms that littered it.

Han Li floated above the valley and observed it in its entirety, then releasing his spiritual sense to cover a fifty kilometer area.

With an expression of satisfaction, he flew to the center of the peach tree forest and muttered, Not bad, this place is quite remote and there are no High Sun Palace cultivators stationed nearby. This valley is ideal to place down a spell formation.

Then without another word, Han Li began to set himself to work.

In a single breath, eight sets of various formation flags and plates were placed in the forest. Five of these formations were meant to conceal auras and isolate Qi from the outside while three of them meant to restrain the spell formation. Additionally, he placed down an illusion formation, covering the true appearance of most of the forest.

Monarch Soul Divergence viewed this with great curiosity, but barely managed to keep himself from asking any questions.

With everything set up, Han Li went to the center of the peach tree forest and sat down cross-legged, entering a meditative state.

Two hours later, Luxiu emerged from the hall and was met by her entourage, who had been impatiently waiting outside the hall. The three tool refinement disciples were sincerely waiting at the side, not daring to neglect them as the young cultivators of the entourage came from exceptionally high backgrounds.

When the County Lord emerged from the hall, her young entourage immediately surrounded her.

County Lord, how did it go?

Did that person ruin your Bloodvein Silver?

Questions were asked with great fervor.

The young woman brushed aside the hair from her face and let out a sweet smile, saying, Nothing went wrong. Many thanks for your concern. Senior Martial Brother Han has already assisted me in refining the material and with great success. Her blatant demeanor from before was nowhere to be found.

When Han Li walked out from the earthfire hall, the corner of his mouth unconsciously twitched at the sight.

Hehe! Youngster Han. You are truly cunning to coax the location of Black Phoenix from the young girl. Do you plan on heading to visiting the island lord for a Black Phoenix Plume?

Of course. Since it is a known method of reinforcing the Triflame Fan, I must do my utmost. I dont want to waste so many rare materials and hard effort on something of lacking power. After all, common ancient treasures dont have much of an effect on late Nascent Soul cultivators. Lets go. Theyll be staying at the Royal Serenity Monastery for the next few days. Ill be staying inside seclusion to avoid having my cultivation interrupted by them. Han Li spoke with an indifferent tone before heading back towards his residence.

…

In the following two days, County Lord Luxiu had quietly looked for Han Li, hoping that he would refine more materials for her. But Han Li had already placed a sign that he had already entered secluded cultivation and even placed a simple restriction in front of the door, causing Luxiu to resentfully turn back with a pout.

After two days passed, the County Lord left the monastery and the entourage of young cultivators followed after her, leaving the Tool Refinement Hall back to its usual affairs.

As months slowly passed by, apart from occasionally refining a few materials, Han Li would wholeheartedly dedicate his time to cultivating the Brightjade Arts. The consistent completion of his refinement tasks earned him the increasing respect of Elder Wei, who found time to give Han Li further explanation on the finer points of material purification. Later on, he would give a few rarer materials to Han Li to refine.

When Han Li noticed this, he punctually refined these rarer materials without the slightest delay, much to the astonishment of Elder Wei. Eventually, Elder Wei noticed Han Lis talent for tool refinement and assigned him even more tasks, occasionally finding more time to teach Han Li as well. During this time, Elder Wei was also occupied on the refinement of something and left a small portion of the materials over to Han Li to deal with.

Not long after, Han Li astonishedly discovered that he was given rare earth-attribute materials to refine. He couldnt help but feel shocked. There were sparsely few treasures that were completely refined by earth-attribute materials and most of them possessed astonishing strength.

However, this had nothing to do with him. No matter the conditions, he would stick to his original plan and slowly cultivate to the second layer of the Brightjade Arts, faintly noticing astonishing changes to his body as time went on.

…

One day, a few people from Pure Revelations Academy delivered a message to the Gan Clan that Teacher Yan had suddenly passed away from a grave illness.

Illness? When I last saw him, it didnt seem like he was ill. When Han Li found out about this, he found it to be quite unexpected. With his spiritual sense, he also sensed many foreign cultivators have recently appeared near the Royal Serenity Monastery and were secretly observing it. It appeared there was something on the verge of happening.

Lets not stay here for too long, or I might be drawn into something very troublesome. Rich in experience, Han Li came to a firm decision.

In his remaining time, he began to cultivate the Brightjade Arts with greater care.

…

One year later, an event of moderate note occurred at the Royal Serenity Monastery. An external affairs Qi Condensation disciple made a sudden disappearance and stirred the notice of many high-grade cultivators in the monastery. When the monasterys Nascent Soul-stage nun heard this, even she involved herself in the investigation.

Normally, the disappearance of a single low-grade disciple among several thousand wouldnt be cause for any concern, but it happened that this disciple was a capable and hardworking disciple of the Tool Refinement Hall. As he was of great use, this stirred quite the commotion amongst the higher echelon of the monastery.

As this was ongoing, the old Daoist nun in the monastery was sitting in an armchair while two yellow-robed Daoist Nuns stood at her side, one at the age of forty and the other in her late twenties.

Whats going on? With the heavy restrictions of our Royal Serenity Monastery, how could a single disciple disappear without anyones knowledge? Do you two have anything to say? The old Daoist Nun coldly spoke with a gloomy expression.

The middle-aged Daoist nun hesitated before answer with a respectful tone, Reporting to Martial Senior, Ive already examined the restrictions in the sect and found them to all be intact. There is no sign of an external force infiltrating our monastery. It seems that either a spell formation master was involved or the disciple left of his own accord.

The old Daoist nun frowned and asked, A spell formation master? Our monasterys protective grand formation isnt something that one of the few spell formation masters in the Great Jin is capable of breaking. But if he escaped from the inside, that isnt a particularly difficult task. What was that disciples name and what were his origins?

The younger Daoist nun hastily answered, The disciple was named Han Li. He was a vagrant cultivator that Martial Niece Hualian picked up two years ago from Pure Revelations Academy.

Han Li? His name is exactly the same as the elder that our Ye Clan recruited recently? The old Daoist nun asked in shock.

Thats right. When I heard of the disciples name, I was stunned, but it was most likely a coincidence. How could a Nascent Soul cultivator and Qi Condensation cultivator possibly be related?

A coincidence? Although there are many coincidences in this world, it just so happened that someone involved in that items refinement had disappeared. Furthermore, this person had the same name as a newly acquired elder in our clan. Regardless if this is truly a coincidence, the matter must be thoroughly investigated. Send men to the capital and closely question this Elder Han. See if he has any connection to this disciple Han Li. Also, call over that girl Hualian. I want to personally ask her about how she recruited this disciple. It seems weve fallen for a trap of Pure Revelations Academy. We also cant have the speed of the Tool Refinement Hall to decrease. We must finish refining that item in three years, or it will delay the great event. The old Daoist nun uttered these orders without the slightest change in expression.

Yes, Martial Aunt!

As you command!

With repeated acknowledgments, the two yellow-robed nuns then bid their leave.

When the old Daoist nun saw the two leave the building, she let out a long sight before leaning back in her chair and slowly closing her eyes.

…

Three months later in the Yi Provinces largest market city, a youth bought an unknown ore at an unremarkable shop for the high price of thirty thousand spirit stones.

Five months later in the Fan Prefectures Fan County Trade Fair, a masked cultivator purchased three pieces of Firegrant Wood for the price of fifty thousand spirit stones.

Half a year later at the Feng Provinces Kailong Prefecture, a local mid-grade sect suddenly had an Iron Rhino Horn disappear from them. They suspected that it had been stolen.

Eight months later, the Qu Regions top clan was suddenly paid a visit by a large mid-Nascent Soul cultivator with an ugly appearance. He wanted to trade a thousand-year-old spiritual herb and a grade seven demon core for the Rainbow Light Wood in the clans collection.

As a result, the clan master had his two Nascent Soul elders meet this Nascent Soul cultivator to turn him away, but as a result, the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator used his vast abilities to easily turn the elders into two blocks of ice.

The clan master was shocked and with no better choice, he was forced to agree to the trade. As a result, the large ugly man took the wood and tossed the spiritual herb and demon core onto the ground with howling laughter. The clan master then had to expend a great effort to free his two elders from the ice. Although their lives were still intact, they suffered a great loss in vitality.

Over the short span of a year, a young man, masked cultivator, and a large ugly man began to appear all around the southern portion of the Jin Empire, collection various rare materials. The youth would buy strange materials that few could recognize, the masked cultivator repeatedly won auctions in great displays of wealth as if he had an endless stream of spirit stones, and the large ugly man would imprudently visit the various noble clans in the area as well as a few smaller sects, forcefully exchanging rare materials in their collections for his spiritual herbs and demon cores.

Of course, it also stood to mention that larger sects would often have a few of their materials mysteriously disappear overnight.

The youth and the masked cultivator were hardly noticed apart from some particularly sharp individuals. As for the large ugly mans forceful exchanges and the frequent disappearance of materials, they had caused great tremors in the southern portion of the Great Jins cultivation world.

The various cultivation sects were furious at the theft of their materials and they dispatched disciples to find this mysterious thief. As for the large ugly man, the various sects backing the victimized clans had begun sending men to find the whereabouts of this imprudent-mid Nascent Soul cultivator.

Elder? When has the Ye Clan acquired another elder? Is he a vagrant cultivator or someone from a small sect? Wont there be a problem? The Daoist nun quickly asked several questions in her alarm.

Dont worry, Aunt. This person isnt a cultivator from the Great Jin but a vagrant cultivator from the Soaring Sky Plains. Their abilities are quite impressive, and weve already investigated this persons background and have found nothing wrong. They had offended the Soaring Sky Temple and had to flee. Our Clan had yet to reveal this matter to them.

Oh, thats quite good. Although I disapprove of your follow-up plans, the elders have already set the plan into motion. Those two Divine Spirit Treasures must be acquired. We can only worry about what will happen afterwards and play it by ear, but youll have to be careful from now on. Those superpowers have spies everywhere and our large movements are bound to attract their attention. We mustnt leak any information. The Daoist nun warned.

The beautiful woman bitterly smiled and helplessly said, We fear weve already aroused the suspicion of a few perceptive individuals. Over the past few days, the superpowers have dispatched many additional cultivators to bolster their ranks at the capital city.

The Daoist nuns expression sank and she asked, Were there any Nascent Soul cultivators among them?

No, but the cultivators they sent were all at Core formation stage. There are the same number of Nascent Soul cultivators watching over the capital city.

That will be fine, the old Daoist nun slowly said, It seems they are only somewhat suspicious and they havent truly sensed anything. Ever since the Three Royals Monastery released information that it wished to refine an important treasure, it attracted much attention that wouldve otherwise put pressure on your side.

After some thought, the other woman said, Your orders were the correct choice. But it stands to mention that although the treasure being refined by the Three Royals Monastery is only bait if it is successfully refined, it will be a great increase of our power. If it is possible, we should strive our hardest to create it.

I am well aware, the Daoist nun said, The Mountain Crushing Seal is a treasure capable of splitting the earth. Even an imitation of it will be an outstanding weapon. If we manage to successfully refine it, it will be the equivalent of having another late-Nascent Soul cultivator in our ranks. We must do our utmost to make sure that succeeds. On the other hand, I heard that your second uncle said that he wanted to recruit a few powerful vagrant cultivators. How is that going?

He has set himself on recruiting vagrant cultivators for quite a while. Two of the four great vagrant cultivators have already entered the service of the royal family. As for the other two, they were too difficult to find, so they will be impossible to recruit. However, Luminous West Mountains ghost monarch and the Myriad Demon Valleys Deputy Valley Lord Xiong are also willing to stand with us to escape the superpowers control. They should lend us a hand when the time comes. There are also small sects that have displayed goodwill to us as well…

Afterwards, the old Daoist nun and the beautiful woman continued their detailed discussions as time slowly passed by.

…

Inside the earthfire hall, County Lord Luxiu was staring wide-eyed at an egg-sized piece of silver that was wrapped in interweaving silver and crimson light. She wore an expression of delight.

The woman fiddled with the material in her hand and spoke to Han Li with a smile, Senior Martial Brother Han, I didnt expect youd be able to truly refine the Bloodvein Silver and at such high purity. Elder Wei must be quite accomplished to have a disciple as skilled as yourself. I ran across to the tool refinement rooms of many market cities, but none of their tool refinement masters were confident in their ability to refine this material properly.

Han Li replied with a faint smile, Martial Senior Weis tool refinement techniques arent comparable to those of common tool refinement masters. Furthermore, I am not Martial Senior Weis disciple, but a temporary helper for the tool refinement hall. When the time comes, I will want to wholeheartedly focus on cultivation. My current tool refinement techniques are something that I only simply learned in passing.

When the young woman heard Han Li, a sad expression appeared on her face. Is that so? What a waste. You have so much talent for tool refinement since you were able to purify Bloodvein Silver.

Since Ive finished refining the County Lords Bloodvein Silver, I now have other important matters to attend to and cannot continue to keep your company.

Just as Han Li began to tidy up the tool refinement magic tools in the room, he suddenly heard Luxiu say, Please wait! She put away the Bloodvein Silver and beamingly smiled, Could it be that I am so ugly that my appearance is forcing you to leave? And who said I only had that to refine? I still have other materials that must be dealt with. I didnt know how skilled Senior Martial Brother was, and I didnt dare to take them out. I now am completely confident in your skills.

Afterwards, she took out a foot-long jade box and handed it over to Han Li.

He then felt his head ache. He weighed the jade box in his hand but didnt open it. Then with a bitter expression, he said, There are still more materials? The County Lord overestimates me. At my current cultivation, Ive already exhausted my strength refining just the Bloodvein Silver. I will not be able to refine any further materials.

So it was like that… Your magic power is too shallow. However, this item doesnt need to be purified. I only want you to help me in dealing with the material and reduce the decay of its spiritual nature. I must tell you that you cant speak of it after I show it to you. It is something that I acquired with great difficulty and I reckon there are few such of its kind in the world.

What item can be so rare? In Han Lis astonishment, he glanced at the jade box in his hand and curiously opened it.

As soon as he opened the lid, a blinding red light suddenly shined out from it, blinding him.

In his alarm, blue light shined from his eyes as he unconsciously activated the Brightsight Spirit Eyes.

Yi! Your…

This is…

Both Han Li and the young woman shouted out at the same time in astonishment.

The box had a translucent plume feather that was a half-foot long. It sparked with red light as if it was made from flames.

The plume of a Vast Yang Bird? But this is quite different, Han Li muttered to himself as he stared at the boxs contents.

What is a Vast Yang Bird? This is the plume of a Black Phoenix. When my grandfather brought me across the sea to visit a powerful senior, I took advantage of the moment his spirit bird was asleep to secretly pick its feather. Hehe, that stupid bird was dead asleep and didnt notice in the slightest. Thats right, whats with your eyes? They had glowed with blue light. Its very interesting. Is it a magic technique? She then stared at Han Lis eyes, hoping that she would recognize something.

But Han Li felt that something was off and had already canceled the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, preventing her from making anything out. At that moment, he was staring at the plume feather and was having a discussion with Monarch Soul Divergence using his spiritual sense.

The plume of a Black Phoenix? Isnt it a fire-attribute spirit bird that was equivalent to the Vast Yang Bird? Could it serve as a replacement? Han Li solemnly asked.

The Black Phoenix is only a divergence of the Flame Phoenix. The bird may have a bloodline that descended from antiquity and possesses amazing abilities, but it is unfortunate that the two materials are not interchangeable. With some modifications, we can add in this plume and raise the power of the simplified Sevenflame Fan by an entire level. However, the spiritual nature of this feather has been greatly decayed. It is no longer a suitable material, Monarch Soul Divergence said with disappointment. Then, with a baffled tone, he added, But I find this quite impressive. When I toured the Great Jin in the past, Ive never heard of any eccentrics raising this bird.

So it was like that… When Han Li heard this, he felt greatly disappointed.

At that moment, Luxiu was looking at him with an impatient expression. She was greatly curious about the blue light that Han Li released from his eyes.

When he saw her expression, he rubbed his nose and wryly smiled in his heart.

With a calm expression, he then slowly replied, The reason why my eyes shined with light is because I used spirit water to cleanse them. This method only grants my eyes slight spiritual sight. It is only a minor art for low-grade cultivators like me.

Luxius spirits were roused and eagerly asked, What spirit water did you use to cleanse your eyes? Do you have more? Can you give me some?

The spirit water is only effective if it is used immediately after refinement. Ive already used all that water I had. I fear I must disappoint you. He said with a regretful expression.

The young woman blinked and pouted, displaying her doubt as she said, Senior Martial Brother Han, are you telling the truth? Dont think that you can lie to me because Im young.

Han Li dryly laughed and then slowly said, All of my words are true. I dont dare to deceive you, County Lord. However, I do have something else that might interest you.

The young woman was stunned when she heard Han Lis words and suddenly thought of something. With a crafty smile, she asked, What will you trade for it? Dont tell me that you have eyes on my Black Phoenix Plume!

Han Li closed the lid on the box and wryly smiled. County Lord Luxiu must be joking. How could a mere Qi Condensation cultivator dare to covet such a treasure? I merely wish for you to confirm something.

The woman smiled and waved her arm in a bold display. Confirm something? Thats easy! There is no need to trade. If you help me deal with the Black Phoenix Plume, I will answer your questions the best I can.

After some thought, Han Li nodded and said, Alright. Lets do as you say.