Рубрика: Путешествие к бессмертию

Chapter 525: A Fearsome and Resounding Reputation

Brother Qiu, do we attack? It seems like hes really alone.The fierce-looking mans voice held a trace of nervousness.

The gaunt old man stared at him with a doubtful expression, but didnt reply.

When the three saw the youth take out a black alms bowl and start to extract the Vivid Glass Beasts soul, their expressions greatly changed with a trace of fear appearing within their eyes.

The cultivator surnamed Min saw the old mans hesitation and couldnt help but frown. He probingly said, This person is quite odd. How about we leave him be? There is no need to provoke any mysterious characters.

As the three had managed to survive in the Scattered Star Seas for such a long time, they were naturally very cautious people. The scene before them was, without a doubt, indescribably strange. It even caused Cultivator Min to recoil!

The old mans gaze wandered for a long while before he bitterly smiled, and listlessly said, Leave him be? This is no longer a matter of choosing to attack him, but rather, how we will leave here alive.

These words caused the fierce-looking man and Cultivator Min to freeze. They were fully aware of the old mans temperament and knew that he wouldnt say something like this without reason. As such, they soon revealed astonishment.

The old man licked his lips and spoke with an agonized whisper, You two might not have noticed, but doesnt this person resemble the recent rumors of that devil?

Devil? Then could he be…?

So it was him!

The two immediately let out a cry of alarm. Their faces were aghast!

The old man solemnly muttered as if he were speaking to himself, Absolutely. He appears young, can release several flying swords, and moreover, his sword light is azure. Just like the rumors!

The fierce-looking mans complexion turned white. He said with a trembling voice, Wasnt that person also well-known to use a swarm of flying insects? He hasnt revealed them since weve arrived. That cant be a coincidence! It appeared he had been shaken stiff by the old mans words.

Cultivator Min turned slightly green and sent out a voice transmission in a whisper, Brother Qius words are correct. This devil ordinarily reveals himself to be at early Core Formation and is fond of extracting the souls of demon beasts. The reason why he hasnt release his flying insects should be that he didnt feel the need to! frewebnoel.com

Youre saying that this guy is the rumored Insect Devil? Then why are we still here? If we face him, were certain to perish. The fierce-looking man appeared to be panic-stricken.

The old man managed to regain his calm and said, Dont lose your head! Even if it truly is the Insect Devil, his attention was occupied with the Vivid Glass Beast when we arrived. As a result, we had remained undiscovered. Now that he has killed the demon beast, we will expose ourselves if we act rashly.

The other two glanced at each other and saw the sense in the old mans words. As such, they didnt dare to act impulsively.

As the large man stared at the youth extracting the demon beasts soul, something suddenly came to mind. He whispered with a doubtful expression, I heard that four years ago, the Insect Devil contended for a grade seven demon beast against a group of nine Core Formation cultivators. He managed to kill eight of the Core Formation cultivators by himself, but a single late Core Formation cultivator was fortunately able to escape. Could those rumors be true?

Cultivator Min dryly swallowed a few times before whispering, They should be! The man who survived was an expert from the Jade Cloud Sect, and the ones who died were his fellow Sect Members. That fight caused the Jade Cloud Sect, once renowned as one of the five great powers of Wondrous Depths Island, to lose an entire third of their forces. The Jade Cloud Sects Chief Elder, Daoist Master Swift Crane, was enraged by this and personally scoured the seas several times by himself in search of the insect demon. However, he returned unsuccessful each time. Many people believed even if he found the Insect Devil, nothing would come of it. After all, from the abilities he displayed, it is quite possible that he is actually a newly ascended Nascent Soul Expert. It is said that the other factions of Wondrous Depths Island have already taken note of the Insect Devil and wish to recruit him.

After a moment of silence, the old man shook his head and said, Nascent Soul Stage? Not necessarily. Ive heard that there is nothing exceptional about the insect demons cultivation, all of his fearsomeness comes completely from his strange insects. It was said that on the day of that battle, he hadnt used any magic treasures and merely released countless flying insects, devouring the many Core Formation cultivators alive without even lifting a finger. That was how he received the name of Insect Devil.

Cultivator Min persisted, However, Brother Qiu also saw that he didnt use his insects and was able to kill Vivid Glass Beast in a single strike. Even late Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to replicate this feat. Surely he must be a disguised Nascent Soul eccentric.

The old man still disapproved and thought to further speak when the fierce-looking man at the side interrupted him with a helpless tone, Fellow Daoists, it makes no difference for us whether or not he is a Nascent Soul cultivator. It is almost certain that he would be able to kill us with great ease. Even we are fearful of his evil reputation, it is said that all cultivators who encountered the Insect Devil were all devoured by his insects. The number of cultivators that have fallen by his hand is no less than a hundred. In the last two years, this devil has already become a topic of fear.

Cultivator Min appeared even more unsightly after hearing this. His gaze fell onto the blue-clothed youth and he let out a long breath before saying, The Insect Devil is truly vicious and bloodthirsty. It should be true without a doubt. There were no small number of cultivators that had been killed for their treasures, and all claim it to be the work of this devil! And to think we came knocking on his door! His voice was filled with regret.

When the old man heard this, his face also became unsightly, but he spoke no more. He was also greatly fearful toward the evil reputation of the Insect Devil.

In the following moments, the three ceased to use voice transmissions and silently watched the youths every movement. They wished for him to quickly finish dealing with the demon beast so they could get away as soon as possible.

At that moment, the blue-clothed youth finished drawing out the soul of the Vivid Glass beast into the black alms bowl. He then rummaged through the demon beasts corpse for a white demon core.

At that moment, the youth suddenly raised his head and glanced around.

When the three saw this, they all held their breaths and kept their bodies perfectly still.

However, the situation developed contrary to their wishes.

The youths gaze suddenly turned to the direction that the three were hiding in. With a slight sneer on his face, he coldly said, You three Fellow Daoists have been watching me for quite some time. Have you had enough to look at? How about you come out and show yourselves?

Having heard this, the three suddenly felt a chill run down their spines!

Run! It was unknown which of the three shouted this, but they immediately flew off as streaks of light and split off in three different directions in a panic-stricken manner.

The blue-clothed youth frowned and muttered, I havent even finished speaking yet. Why did they flee with such fear? Did they fear that I would eat them? A trace of confusion appeared on his face.

But soon after, the youth waved his arms with a sullen expression, and sent three spirit beast pouches into the air, filling the sky with a torrent of tri-colored beetles.

This youth was obviously Han Li, who had just returned from the far seas.

The old man stealthily peeked his head around only to find a scene that left him aghast, causing him to unconsciously speed up.

At that moment, a series of soft sounds leisurely left Han Lis mouth.

When the tri-colored beetles heard him, they gathered towards the sky and instantly condensed into three huge lances spanning about three meters each. Then with a sharp and loud whistle, the three lanches blurred with brilliant light and separately shot out with miraculous speed.

In an instant, the lances tore through the sky, disappearing into the horizon and chasing down the three cultivators that had fled.

Han Li stood in place without any intention of chasing after them. Instead, he started to leisurely skin the translucent Vivid Glass Beast with a streak of azure light.

The hide of the Vivid Glass Beast was a top-grade material for refining armor. He naturally wasnt about to give it up. Then after turning the rest of the remains to ashes, Han Li retrieved the Rainbow Skirt Grass and his spell formation setup tools from the coral island.

Just as he finished this, three flashes of light appeared on the horizon and flew in Han Lis direction. After they grew closer to him, he was able to clearly see that they were the three cultivators that previously fled.

These three cultivators all had tri-colored collars around their necks. Their pale faces wore expressions of crestfallen resignation.

Han Li grasped his chin as he saw this, but he secretly smiled in his heart.

After the three meekly fell before Han Li, he smiled and asked them with an exceptionally friendly tone, May I ask you three Fellow Daoists, why you so flusteredly ran away from me? Could it be that you three recognize me?

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Alternative Title

Chapter 524: Spying

Seven years after Han Li began harvesting demon beasts, a group of cultivators with varying cultivations were slowly flying at a low altitude in a region of the Outer Star Seas. They would occasionally glance around as if they were searching for something. The group of cultivators were all were at Foundation Establishment, apart from their three leaders. One of their leaders was a mid Core Formation while the other two were at early Core Formation.

A middle-aged cultivator with a yellowish complexion impatiently asked, Brother Qiu, is that grade six demon beast truly nearby? Weve already searched for several days and we even expanded our search perimeter. Isnt it likely that the information is wrong? It appeared he was talking to the gaunt old man that wore a solemn expression at his side. The old man was the highest ranked cultivator in their party, the sole mid Core Formation cultivator.

The old man indifferently replied, Dont be impatient, Fellow Daoist Min. The information we received was but an approximate location. It is also quite common for the location to change after several days. And even then, following this information is better than just randomly roaming the seas. I am confident that the intelligence vendor wouldnt have dared to swindle me.

The third Core Formation cultivator, a large man with a fiendish face, suddenly said, The demon beast mightve already left the area, or perhaps its nest doesnt lie in this area.

Impossible. This is a rare Vivid Glass Beast. Weve swept our spiritual sense in the nearby seas and spotted the beasts most beloved food, the Tri-colored Seaweed. Its nest must be nearby. The gaunt old man spoke with a tone of certainty.

Because the two Core Formation cultivators seemed to hold the old man in high regard, they said no more. Instead, they continued to sweep their spiritual sense in every direction.

As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators behind them, most were either their disciples or younger relatives. As such, none of them dared to intrude in their conversation.

Under the lead of the three Core Formation cultivators, the group continued to search for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, they found absolutely nothing. By this time, the old man begun to frown.

Sigh! Originally, when one stayed near the depths, even if their gains were infrequent, one could still acquire four high grade demon cores a year. But now, ever since we left the depths, weve only encountered two high grade demon beasts, and even worse, we failed to acquire their cores. The cultivator surnamed Min grumbled as if he had a bellyful of grievances.

Enough. Brother Min, you should be aware of the circumstances in the depths. If we were to go to there now, we would only be going to our deaths, rather than hunting demon beasts.

With a face pale from trepidation, the man with a fierce appearance said, It is still truly abnormal! The depths were a place where you could make a living if you were clever and avoided the center region. But two years ago ever since the Demon Beast Insurrection started, the entire depths became a restricted area. High grade cultivators that commonly roamed the depths never returned. And in the past year, several Nascent Soul eccentrics joined hands and explored the center region of the depths. But as a result, they turned tail and fled, perhaps due to having encountered unbeatable odds. Even then, Master Four Paths was the only Nascent Soul cultivator able to return alive. It seems Wondrous Depths Island wont be able to last much longer.

The bony old man was silent for a moment before his face twitched, saying, Fellow Daoist Xuans words do hold reason. Although the demon beasts of the depths can still be considered docile as they have yet to head out of the depths, who knows when they will attack in an overwhelming force. This isnt something that is impossible. We have no choice but to come up with a response!

It seems the old man was extremely concerned about the situation in the depths.

The cultivator surnamed Min bitterly smiled with a face of helplessness, But as of current, the Star Palace is busy fighting with the Starfall Coalition on the other side. The transportation formation will only accept arrivals, not departures. Even if we want to leave, we cant.

Humph! That isnt certain. The fierce-looking man wore an expression of disagreement.

Oh? Could it be that Brother Xuan has another way? The cultivator surnamed Min appeared astonished, but soon, his interest was roused.

The man lowered his voice and spoke with a mysterious tone, Hehe! There is no other way. I merely heard that there were people at Wondrous Depth Island selling displacement talismans at high prices. Although there arent many, there are people that have already returned to the Inner Star Seas!

There is such a thing? Then how about we… The cultivator surnamed Min rejoiced. He thought to further pursue the matter but the bony old man interrupted him with a snort.

Stop dreaming! Even if you manage to acquire the displacement talismans, do you truly dare to return to Heavenly Star City? It is even more dangerous over there! You will certainly be dragged into the conflict if you are to return. Although the demon beasts of the depths are behaving abnormally, it is still completely normal outside the depths. If something does truly happen, we only need to find a desolate island and conceal ourselves there. That would be far better than returning and being dragged into a war. A strange light appeared in the old mans eyes as if he had spent a long time thinking on the matter.

When the two heard this, they stared at each other for a long while. While they felt that the old mans plan was quite crude, they believed it to be practical.

Just when the two thought to discuss the matter further with the old man, they suddenly heard a rough, strange roar in the distance along with a chain of explosions.

The Vivid Glass Beast!

The two early Core Formation cultivators glanced at each other and yelled out the demon beasts name at nearly the same time. Pleasant surprise was displayed on their faces.

The bony old mans face grew stern. He coldly said to the two, That is the Vivid Glass Beasts cry without a doubt but it seems someone found it before us. Were going, but conceal yourselves. Well be acting with discretion.

After the two tacitly nodded their head, the three Core Formation cultivators flew out as streaks of light. But on their way there, they disappeared without a trace.

As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, they immediately chased after them with nervous expressions.

After a short moment, the three Core Formation cultivators silently arrived at a coral reef island several kilometers away. It was where the thunderous demon beasts cry had come from.

However, what they saw was beyond their expectations.

There was a sea beast with a sparkling, transparent body that was trapped in a red light barrier.

The demon beasts body was about ten meters long, and had countless milky-white threads hanging from its body. In a dire attempt to cut through the red barrier of light, it continuously rammed its body against it.

However, this wasnt what the three cultivators were concerned with. They were focused on something else entirely.

There was a youth wearing faint blue robes above the small island. He stood motionlessly in the air with his hands behind his back. His face wore a leisurely expression.

The cultivator with the fierce appearance excitedly said in a voice transmission, Brother Qiu, that person is only at early Core Formation. Shall we attack?

A malicious glint appeared in the old mans eyes. However, he managed to suppress his desire to attack and cautiously said, Dont rush, well first take a look around to see if there are any other cultivators hidden nearby. Lets make sure there are no traps!

The cultivator surnamed Min was also quite careful and called a matter to attention, Fellow Daoist Xuan, Brother Qiu makes sense. It seems quite suspicious for an early Core Formation cultivator to dare to trap a Vivid Glass Beast by himself. There may be other mysteries at play.

When the fierce-looking man heard this, his heart trembled and he hastily swept his spiritual sense around the vicinity. However, he was unable to find anything.

At that moment, the blue-clothed youth struck.

With a single wave of his hand, seven streaks of azure light shot out from his palm. The streaks of light circled once in the air before combining into a huge azure sword that was over thirty meters long. The sword cleaved down, sending a deep reverberation through air.

The Vivid Glass Beast seemed to perceive the swords fearsomeness and spat a white crystal orb at it.

The crystal orb swelled to three meters wide after it left the demon beasts mouth, and moved to intercept the huge falling sword. The sword didnt change speed in the slightest and emitted a faint roll of thunder as it continued down. It then met the crystal with a large bang.

For a single instant, the huge sword appeared indistinct.

Woosh. With a flash of azure light, the huge sword then disappeared without a trace and reappeared atop the Vivid Glass Beast as it continued to cleave down.

The demon beast then hoarsely shouted in fury as its countless white threads joined together to meet the strike in an attempt to preserve its life.

Crunch. The huge sword chopped through the Vivid Glass Beasts head without the slightest resistance, splattering green blood all around.

The three Core Formation cultivators were left amazed at the sight of the youth slaying the beast in a mere instant.

Was that really a Vivid Glass beast? It was well-known to be extremely difficult to hunt even amongst grade six demon beasts. But it just fell to a single blow from this youth. Inconceivable! Could it be that he wasnt at the early Core Formation stage, but was rather at the late Core Formation Stage?

After repeatedly using their spiritual sense to sweep past the youth as he looted the beast corpse, they confirmed that he truly was but an early Core Formation cultivator.

While victory against the grade six Vivid Glass Beast would be certain with the three of them combined, it would be impossible for them to slay it with the ease displayed by this youth. Could it be that this youth was a tiger in disguise? Could he be concealing his true cultivation with a hidden technique?

Suspicions began to surge within their minds!

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Chapter 523: Extracting Souls and Seizing Cores

With the formations at the entrance of his cave residence completed, Han Li had completed his preparations for an extended absence. As for the Soul Nurturing Tree, it had been continuously fed the green liquid over the span of two years and was now fully grown. The tree was just like the Gold Lightning Bamboo had been, it ceased growing after it reached the age of ten thousand years. It was completely unaffected by the green liquid after reaching that point of maturation.

Naturally, Han Li wasnt going to just leave the tree behind and let it gather dust. He carved the foot-long trunk into a dozen thumb-sized beads and strung them together on a golden thread before wearing them around his neck. This type of divine wood didnt need to be meticulously refined, one simply needed to wear it close to their body to receive its wondrous soul nurturing and recovery effects.

After dealing with everything in his cave residence, Han Li left his cave residence and quietly flew out from the mist surrounding the small island.

With the Rainbow Skirt Grass in hand, Han Li had no plans of heading into the depths. Not only did demon beasts of grade eight and higher wander there, but cultivators gathered too. Such a place would be completely unsuitable for him to place down a spell formation and lure demon beasts into. So long as he had the Rainbow Skirt Grass, any part of the nearby seas were all the same to him. As such, it would be better for him to find a secluded coral island instead.

With that thought in mind, Han Li got his bearings before shooting off into the west, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

A month later, Han Li stopped above a fire-red coral reef.

On his way here, he had already spotted many coral islands, but for fear of being too close to his cave residence and attracting trouble, he ignored them and continued flying. Although this reef was so small that it couldnt be called an island, it was more than enough for the purposes of planting Rainbow Skirt Grass.

Han Li decided that this would be the location of his first hunting grounds.

Currently, he had already placed down four spell formations near the coral reef, tightly encasing the nearby surroundings. All that was left was to carefully place the Rainbow Skirt Grass at the center of the magic formations. Since he wanted to attract grade six demon beasts, he needed to mature the Rainbow Skirt Grass to four hundred years old.

It would require a months worth of time to acquire enough green liquid to mature the Rainbow Skirt Grass to that age. However, he wasnt going to be able to spend that time idly.

The first three blooms of the Rainbow Skirt Grass attracted a few low grade demon beasts from him to practice on. Although pills made from the cores of grade five demon beasts would have little effect on Han Lis cultivation , he could exchange them for quite a few spirit stones. He wasnt about to just let them go.

As expected, after the fourth time the Rainbow Skirt Grass bloomed, four grade five demon beasts were pulled in. They were quickly and easily executed with a few of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

……

Gazing at the Rainbow Skirt Grass with three uncurled leaves, Han Li let a long breath before carefully poured the green liquid on top of the plant. He then put the bottle away and sat down at its side before meditating.

When the third day had passed, the Rainbow Skirt Grass uncurled its fourth leaf, releasing its demon-luring scent. Han Li had spent the past two days honing his strength in silent meditation.

Although killing grade five and six demon beasts should pose no problem to him, at the end of the day he was still a lone person deep at sea. It was better to be safe than sorry.

The effects of the Rainbow Skirt Grass wasnt always consistent. In the past, he had attracted a grade seven black dragon, nearly bringing about his death. He was forced to sacrifice a rather valuable spell formation in order to make his escape.

Han Li truly didnt wish to lose his life over a brief moment of carelessness.

After most of the day had passed, Han Lis expression suddenly twitched. He opened his eyes and coldly stared into the distance.

A short moment later, a storm of dense black clouds had in the horizon, accompanied by a thirty-meter-wide whirlpool that suddenly appeared beneath it. A faint rumbling could be heard coming from within it.

With a calm expression, Han Li shot into the air as a streak of azure light and gazed at the scene before him.

With the muffled rumblings coming from the whirlpool, a demon beast clad in black Qi leapt out from within. The demon beast wasnt large, and was only about ten meters long. As it gazed towards the Rainbow Skirt Grass, it released a violent screech.

Han Li let out a sigh of relief at the sight.

He was unable to see the true form of the demon beast due to the black Qi blocking it from his sight. But from intensity of black Qi, it appeared to be a grade six demon beast.

This was the most optimal result as it shouldnt prove to be dangerous in even the slightest.

As a result, Han Li remained motionless in the air as he stared down at the demon beast.

After only a short moment, the demon beast had been driven into a frenzy by the scent of the Rainbow Skirt Grass. With a loud snarl, it fiercely pounced towards the coral reef, stirring up a thirty-meter-tall wave following in its wake.

After having experienced the huge tortoises waves as it underwent tribulation, this mere level of display wasnt enough to impress Han Li.

After seeing the demon beast draw close to the coral reef, a sneer appeared on Han Lis face. With a wave of his arm, a dark-green formation plate appeared in his palm. After emitting a flash of azure light from his hand, Han Li struck the formation plate without hesitation, causing it to suddenly glow with a blinding yellow light.

In the next moment, over ten beams of yellow light shot out from the sea, forming a barrier of yellow fire that surrounded the demon beast.

The demon beast was clearly startled. It immediately brandished two claws from within the black cloud of qi and fiercely struck against the yellow light barrier.

With a huge bang, the yellow light barrier wavered on the verge of collapse. It appeared as if it wouldnt be able to withstand much more.

However, it had already bought Han Li more than enough time. The Five Element Bands he had prepared in his hand released a clear ring before disappearing in a blur.

As a series of cries came from within the black cloud, rainbow light suddenly appeared and then disappeared into the black Qi. A second later, a frightened roar was heard as the black Qi scattered, revealing the demon beast within.

The demon beast turned out to be a twelve-meter-long grey prawn with three green eyes on each side of its head. It appeared panic-stricken.

It was currently restricted by the five copper bands and was rendered completely incapable of escaping.

At that moment, two streaks of bright azure light flew down and revolved around the huge prawn in coordination, chopping it into pieces. Green blood splattered onto the seas below.

The Five Element Bands trembled several times before disappearing in a glow of light and reappearing in Han Lis grasp a moment later.

Han Li wore a slight smile on his face and shook the formation plate in his hand. The yellow radiance immediately faded away as the yellow barrier beneath him followed suit.

Then with a wave of his hand, the Five Element Bands had been replaced with a pitch-black alms bowl in a flicker of light.

With both hands clasped on the bowl, Han Li floated down next to the pawns corpse.

A cold glint flickered from Han Lis eyes as he stared at the huge prawns head. Without further deliberation, Han Li extended his finger and started to mutter an incantation. The tip of his finger began to shine and gradually grew brighter.

Han Li coldly snorted. Several thin white strings shot out from Han Lis finger before piercing into the huge prawns skull. Then with a shake of his finger, the white strings pulled out a fist-sized orb of green light from within the prawns head and brought it towards the Soul Congregation Bowl.

The green light knew that this wouldnt end well, and began to struggle with all its might against the white threads. However, it was unable to break free as it slowly drew closer to the bowl.

When it was about a foot away from the Soul Congregation Bowl, the green orb of light was wrapped in black light and drawn into the bowl.

Han Li smiled at the scene. He then approached the prawns corpse and rummaged through the scattered remains before he found a light blue sphere.

Not only were grade six demon beast cores larger than those from grade five, but they were also more translucent and shined with a faint glow. It made for a beautiful sight.

After looking at it for a moment more, Han Li placed the core into his storage pouch and took another look at the huge prawns corpse as if something had just come to mind. He suddenly raised his hand and cut it with two more streaks of light.

He sliced off its claws and placed them into his storage pouch without any further thought. Afterwards, he shot a small fireball at the corpse, turning all of the remaining pieces into ashes.

Han Li calmly flew back to the Rainbow Skirt Grass and went back to sitting down cross-legged.

He was confident that the nearby seas didnt only have one grade six demon beast. Now, he just had to calmly wait until the next one arrived.

If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! Ive also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

Chapter 522: Rainbow Beads and New Gold Devouring Beetles

One of the items Han Li found in the sea below where the previous battle occured was about ten meters long and sparkled with silver light. It appeared to be a portion of the huge tortoises tail. The other item was half of the ghost head staff. It still contained a significant amount of spiritual Qi.

It was quite difficult to make out who had won the battle based on these two items.

After the tribulation had concluded, it was even possible that the battle had moved to a different section of the sea.

After all, battles at the Nascent Soul and grade eight demon beast stage werent matters that could be easily concluded, regardless of whether it were a cultivator wanting to slay a demon beast for their core, or a demon beast wishing to devour a cultivators Nascent Soul. Either way, it would prove quite easy for the weaker party to escape.

Han Li looked at the two items in his hands with narrowed eyes. After some further thought, he tossed the two items back into the sea.

Although it wasnt likely that someone would pursue these two items, Han Li was unwilling to invite any disaster to his doorstep.

After carefully examining his surroundings for a moment and making certain that there were no concealed cultivators or demon beasts in the vicinity, he flew into the sea mist without any further hesitation.

When Han Li saw that the restrictions outside his cave residence were untouched, he finally felt his worries dissipate as he hurriedly entered.

Before the the battle had erupted, Han Li had originally planned to abandon the island. But afterwards, he changed his mind.

Even if the demon tortoise survived the battle and its nest was in the nearby seas, it definitely wouldve received heavy wounds. On the other hand, after going through such a grave experience, it most likely wouldve left. Moreover, finding another hidden island wasnt going to be an easy matter. And even if he did find another, who knew if there would be yet another high grade demon beast lurking nearby.

Hence, it was much safer to stay.

However, Han Li didnt dare to let down his guard, and immediately prioritized putting down many more illusion formations on the small island. He also carved out two false cave residences on other parts of the island, and placed separate concealment restrictions on them. With this, if any powerful enemies were to attack, he would be given an opportunity to escape.

With all of that done, Han Li finally felt at ease.

However, Han Li was unaware that the battle that had occurred that day was actually the spark that would lead to a huge battle between cultivators and demon beasts a few days later. The enraged flood dragons of the Outer Star Seas had all joined together to form a man hunting party, sowing calamity amongst human cultivators.

Han Li, who had spent several days in peace in his cave residence, had already thrown the recent battle to the back of his head.

He was currently refining a few sets of enemy entrapment formation tools for his future demon beast hunts. As he was planning to hunt down grade six and seven demon beasts, he couldnt afford to be careless.

During this time, the Gold Devouring Beetles finally finished laying their eggs.

As Han Li was joyously observing the beetle eggs, his face suddenly revealed amazement.

Although the eggs were shiny silver as expected, the eggs also had rather eye-catching specks of black on them as well.

This is… After looking at this, Han Lis first thought was that the Gold Devouring Beetles had somehow ascended in grade. But Han Li soon rejected this idea.

Although the Gold Devouring Beetles were quite powerful, they were nowhere near as indestructible as the legends had described their matured form to be. There was no way they could have matured so quickly.

Hence, after some further thought, Han Li recalled the countless Ironfire Ants that they had devoured. Could it be that the Gold Devouring Beetles had consumed so many Ironfire Ants that they underwent an unexpected mutation?

Han Lis curiosity was piqued.

However, from his previous experiences, it would take about a year for the eggs to hatch. As such, he forcefully suppressed his anticipation as he placed down a soul control formation around the eggs, placing a drop of blood into it so that they would recognize him as their master. Afterwards, Han Li took a look at the Gold Threaded Silkworms while he was at the insect rooms.

As of current, apart from the two Gold Threaded Silkworms that had taken the rainbow beads, the rest of Gold Threaded Silkworms had slowly deteriorated before inevitably perishing, even with the support of spirit medicines. Likewise, the two survivors showed no signs of improving despite having already survived for so long and being given so much medicine.

At that moment, Han Li had entirely given up on preserving them and had specially prepared some Rainbow Skirt Grass for the two Gold Threaded Silkworms. He wanted to see whether or not it had a similar effect like on his beetles and would cause them to lay eggs.

With these results, Han Li was certain that while the rainbow beads werent on par with the Heavenmend Pills, they only possessed positive effects and werent harmful to the user.

After half a month, Han Li had finished constructing his sets of formation spell setup tools and had fed the the Rainbow Skirt Grass to the Gold Threaded Silkworms. He was now planning to head into seclusion and consume the rainbow beads. Minusing the two beads he had given to the silkworms, Han Li still had six on hand.

……

Han Li sat cross-legged at the center of the room and stared at the box containing the beads with an appearance of great tranquility. Since he already came to a decision, he wasnt going to cowardly back down now. He swiftly picked up a bead and placed it in his mouth. Soon, Han Li wore an expression of astonishment.

The originally solid bead turned incredibly soft upon entering his mouth. It was somewhat bitter but it was easily swallowed. After entering his stomach, he began to feel a strange warmth from his Dantian.

Han Li frowned and immersed his spiritual sense within himself. The rainbow bead was completely intact within his stomach and emitted a faint glow.

He muttered to himself for a moment after seeing this and soon clutched his hands in an incantation gesture. A thin thread of azure flame spouted out from his golden core and enveloped the bead before slowly refining it. In an instant, the warmth became scorching hot!

Han Li then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Two months later, Han Li had completely refined the bead with his core fire, but he didnt feel any immediate changes. After some hesitation, he began to refine the second one.

Nearly a year passed by in the blink of an eye. Han Li emerged from seclusion with all six rainbow beads having been cleanly consumed. He could now feel a slight change and was now absorbing spiritual Qi and producing spiritual power at a slightly faster rate. Although the effects werent very obvious, Han Li was wild with joy.

After all, the effects of the rainbow beads had yet to be fully displayed.

However, Han Lis cheerful mood was soon dampened by a cold reality.

After the Gold Threaded Silkworms ate the Rainbow Skirt Grass, they had laid eggs as expected, over a hundred even. However, all of the eggs were dead. The Gold Threaded Silkworms had both died after laying the eggs as well.

Han Li stood outside the insect room, staring at the dead eggs in silence.

Although he had suffered quite a loss, he did manage to verify the medicinal effects of the Rainbow Skirt Grass at the very least.

Although he suspected that the mature Rainbow Skirt Grass would have a similar effect to induce reproduction in higher grade demon beasts, he hadnt had the chance to test it until now. From the Gold Threaded Silkworms actions, it was proven almost certainly true.

The rarer and higher grade the demon beast, the more difficult it would be to reproduce! It was no wonder that high grade demon beasts so rapidly flocked to the Rainbow Skirt Grass when it was in bloom.

As the saying goes, disaster and fortune often came hand in hand. While Han Li was brooding over the Gold Threaded Silkworms, the Gold Devouring Beetle eggs hatched several days later.

The newly-hatched Gold Devouring Beetles gave Han Li a rather pleasant surprise.

They appeared no different than before, apart from the color of their shells. In addition to the golden spots on their silver shells, there were also traces of black. But more importantly, the spiritual Qi they emitted gave Han Li a rather distinct impression.

Han Li was now completely certain that the Gold Devouring Beetles had changed because the previous generation of Gold Devouring Beetles had consumed countless Ironfire Ants.

Of course, Han Li would have to do some testing to find out what differences they had developed.

As a result, Han Li placed all the beetles into a storage pouch and reentered his hidden room. About half a day later, he left the room with unconcealed excitement.

These new Gold Devouring Beetles were far more powerful than he had anticipated. He now felt even more assured in his future hunts for spirit beasts.

Although Han Li still wished to research the puppet fragments from the Heavenvoid Hall, he reckoned it wasnt going to be a matter that only took a few years. As such, he could only put it off for later.

Han Li had already finished his preparations for his sea expedition for high grade demon beast cores. He already had his Rainbow Skirt Grass and sets of formation setup tools. As there could come a chance that they may prove to be useful, Han Li took along the Bloodjade Spider and the Weeping Soul Beast. While Han Li felt quite uneasy towards leaving behind the spiritual medicines, the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng in particular, they werent something that he could bring along.

After all, he didnt know precisely how long he would be out to sea. The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng was still a plant and couldnt be separated too long from the ground.

With that in mind, Han Li bluntly left behind a portion of the newly-hatched Gold Devouring Beetles at the cave residence.

He gave them the order to kill any cultivators or demon beasts that trespassed.

This way, any trespassers would be killed, so long as they werent Nascent Soul cultivators or grade eight demon beasts.

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Chapter 521: Savage Flood Dragon

Savage Flood Dragon! Han Li inwardly shouted with an expression of rarely-seen fear.

This scarlet demon beast had a body that stretched out to four hundred meters and appeared similar to the the inky flood dragon that he had seen before. Furthermore, it was one of the more fearsome types of flood dragons amongst its kind. Judging by the congealed essence that was displayed by the light wandering across its scarlet scales, it appeared to be a genuine grade eight demon beast. The demon beast emitted a pressure that Han Li had only experienced from Nascent Soul cultivators.

Flood dragons were one of the few primordial demon beasts that remained in this world since the ages of antiquity. Not only did these demon beasts cultivate far faster than others, but their magic power would also greatly exceed that of other demon beasts of similar ranking. It wasnt impossible for a flood dragon to even defeat an opponent that was of a superior grade.

If what the ancient records said was true, then the grade eight Savage Flood Dragon should be an equal match for average grade nine demon beasts.

This knowledge caused Han Li to turn pale from shock. He immediately wanted to run, but he still managed to retain enough reason to not make any rash movements.There were still two more streaks of light flying across the sky towards them. It seemed they came with hostile intentions since they were flying over without the slightest attempt at concealment.

As these developments occurred, Han Li placed the blood red cloak on his body as stealthily as possible. At the same time, he also summoned the Five Element Bands and the flower basket into his hands. With these at the ready, Han Li felt far more at ease.

By this point, the Savage Flood Dragon had already let out a long hiss. It turned its long head towards the huge turtle resisting the lightning with all its strength, watching it with a strange expression.

Soon, the flood dragons body emitted a frightening blue light, causing his body to suddenly shrink.

After only a short moment, the flood dragons body had assumed a form that was close in size and shape to a human.

Its head was still that of a fierce flood dragon, but its limbs appeared to be that of a human, apart from the scarlet scales that covered its body. It also had a thick scaly tail that continuously whipped around.

The flood dragons transformation left Han Li dumbstruck.

The flood dragon stood idly on top of the raging seas as if he were standing on land, not swaying in the slightest.

However, after he transformed, his eyes unconsciously swept towards Han Lis direction, and its gaze became icy. Han Li suddenly felt his body break out into a chill as he tightly grabbed onto his ancient treasures with sweaty palms.

Fortunately, the golden light and red brilliance had just arrived during that time.

The Savage Flood Dragon immediately lost interest in Han Li as its cold gaze swept past the three people that had appeared before it.

The golden light was revealed to be an old Daoist with the appearance of a sage. He carried a saber on his back and a horsetail whisk in his hand and wore a brilliant gold Daoists robe containing the eight trigrams. He twirled his beard as he examined the human form of the flood dragon. While his face showed shock, his eyes surprisingly contained a trace of greed.

Not far away from the old Daoist stood two middle-aged men with identical appearances. Their skin appeared as ashen as corpses and they wore brilliant fire-red robes. The only difference between them that Han Li could distinguish was that one of them held a three-meter-long ghost head staff, while the other wore a massive red gourd on their back.

They first glanced at the huge turtle beneath them before turning their eyes to the Savage Flood Dragon and the old Daoist. They were both silent and expressionless.

The old man appeared to only possess an early Nascent Soul cultivation, and the two middle-aged men appeared to only be late Core Formation cultivators. But Han Li was baffled to see that the two red-robed middle-aged man were able to face the immense pressure from both the flood dragon and the old Nascent Soul Daoist without showing the slightest fear.

After the old mans eyes wandered several times around the two, he suddenly smiled at them and said, Hehe! I didnt think that Id encounter the Huo Brothers. This humble Daoist apologizes for not recognizing you sooner!

The face of the red-robed man with the gourd on his back twitched. He then expressionlessly said, We also didnt expect to find Senior Jin Xia here. If Senior wishes to exterminate the two demon beasts beneath us, we would be glad to work together.

When the old Daoist heard this, he felt gloomy.

The flood dragon was an existence that was equivalent to a grade nine demon beast. He wasnt so arrogant to believe that he could handle it alone. Were it not for the confidence he held in his incisive magic treasures, he wouldnt even consider fighting it.

After the old Daoist frowned, he dryly coughed several times before bluntly saying, You Fellow Daoists must be joking. This humble Daoist wouldnt be able to deal with the Savage Flood Dragon by himself. Likewise, neither could the two of you restrain it. But together, we might have a chance at success. Perhaps you Fellow Daoists would be interested in giving it a try? Its been quite a while since a grade eight demon beast has been seen. If we were to join hands, we might be able to luckily succeed. In that case, I will only require the flood dragons soul. I have no need of its demon core. Daoist Jin Xia stared at the two red-robed men as he spoke.

The old Daoists words seemed to run contrary to the two red-robed mens expectations. But after they glanced at each other, clearly communicating through some unknown method, the middle-aged man holding the ghost head staff briefly nodded and replied, Fine! Well agree to Seniors conditions. Us Juniors dont wish to relinquish this opportunity and will strive our hardest!

When that was said, his companion had already taken the fire-red gourd into his hand.

When the old Daoist heard this, he rejoiced. He raised his arm and flung out an azure jade ring from his sleeve. It flew downwards, leaving a strange cry in its wake.

The Savage Flood Dragon stared coldly at the three as if it understood their words. A fierce expression flickered from his face as he opened his mouth, shooting a beam of scarlet light towards the old Daoist. Its silhouette then flickered and disappeared from sight.

In the following moment, the Savage Flood Dragon re-appeared behind the two red-robed men in a flash. With fingers wrapped in blue light, it fiercely swiped its claws down to be met with a clang.

The ghost head staff in one of their hands had automatically taken the shape of a three-meter-tall malevolent spirit, and blocked the strike, saving their lives.

When this occurred, the brothers surnamed Huo were greatly frightened. Their stiff, corpse-like faces were now overwhelmed with shock.

At that same moment, the large red gourd lightly shook. With a howl of wind, countless grains of red crystal rushed out of the gourd, enveloping an area of over three hundred meters turning it into a realm of blazing fire and trapping the Savage Flood Dragon within it.

As for the scarlet ray of light that the flood dragon had released, it was currently tangling with the old Daoists jade ring as if it were alive.

The old Daoists expression was quite solemn and he did his utmost to prevent the scarlet light from nearing his body. He knew that the scarlet light was not to be underestimated.

The Savage Flood Dragon was suppressing the two late Core Formation cultivators in a clear attempt to allow the demon tortoise to finish its tribulation.

Conversely, the old Daoist and the red-robed man feared the escape of the Savage Flood Dragon and rejoiced at every bit of magic power that the demon beast wasted. It would save them quite a bit of trouble later on. As for the huge tortoise, even if its tribulation was completed, its Origin Qi would be greatly damaged, and it wouldnt pose much of a threat.

As such, the three cultivators continued their fight with the demon beast in the sky as the huge tortoise beneath them reached the key moment of its tribulation. The bolts of lightning falling from the sky began to form silver spheres of lightning. Each strike caused the huge tortoise to tremble and was met with wild roars.

Han Li rejoiced at the sight.

Naturally, he had no thoughts to take advantage of the situation. A battle at this level was beyond what he could handle. But either way, regardless of which side won, it would be more than enough to solve Han Lis cave residence predicament.

As of now, an elusive opportunity for escape had finally showed itself. Han Li immediately made use of it, immersing the blood-red cape with his magic power and tearing through the sky as a streak of blood-red light.

Han Lis sudden appearance and show of speed had caused both the cultivators and the flood dragon to become alarmed, but they soon ignored him.

This was because they were able to perceive that Han Lis cultivation was quite shallow despite traveling at such a fast speed. An early Core Formation cultivator would prove insignificant to all of them.

As Han Li was fearful of the demon beasts and cultivators discovering his cave residence, he decided to fly in a direction away from the sea mist.

With the blood-red cloaks astonishing speed, Han Li was able to travel several thousands of kilometers in moments. After seeing that there were no pursuers, he finally relaxed and flew without his cloak as he went on ahead.

After flying for the greater part of a day, Han Li casually sought an island to stay on for the time being.

Several days later, Han Li reckoned that the battle shouldve reached a conclusion, and he carefully flew back.

As expected, the sea nearby the mist was completely tranquil with no demon beasts, cultivators, or heavenly lightning in sight as if nothing had occurred.

Han Li floated above the nearby seas and muttered to himself for a moment before slowly releasing his spiritual sense into the nearby seas. His body then suddenly blurred with a flash of azure light as he dived into the sea. In the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li emerged, holding something in each of his hands.

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Chapter 520: Metamorphosis Tribulation

Naturally, Han Li had already constructed a tool refining room in his new cave residence. After placing down another concealment restriction, he brought the refined crystal and Myriad Year Spirit Milk into the formation before tightly shutting the door to the room.

The other operations in the cave residence were smoothly taken care of by the huge ape puppets he had left outside while he remained in seclusion.

A year silently passed in this manner before one day, something unexpected occurred.

Without the slightest warning, a huge rumble suddenly reverberated throughout the cave residence, accompanied by a continuous earthquake. In addition, faint rolls of violent thunder could be heard from the outside. The rolls of thunder grew increasingly louder as if the entire island was being covered in a violent storm.

With a muffled thump, the door of the tool refining room opened.

Han Li leapt out of the room with a cold expression, bewilderment clear in his eyes. Upon hearing the huge rumbling outside of his cave residence, he suddenly slapped his hand against a spirit pouch at his waist, causing a yellow streak of light to emerge. It circled around in the air before landing in his palm.

It was a faint-yellow, meter-long formation flag with a few talisman characters embroidered onto it.

Without much thought, Han Li spat out a cloud of azure Qi onto the flag, causing it to shine with yellow light. As a cold glint flickered from Han Lis eyes, the flag shot into the earth with a flick of his wrist. The formation flag dug into the earth in the blink of an eye and disappeared from sight.

With a muffled incantation of varying tones leaving Han Lis mouth, yet another astonishing scene occurred.

As Han Li continued his incantation, the ground and walls began to shine with golden light as if they consisted of raw gold. At the same time, the trembling and frightening rolls of thunder suddenly came to a halt, restoring everything back to normal.

When Han Li saw this, his expression relaxed. However, the confusion in his eyes had yet to disappear. He then flew out of his cave residence in a streak of azure light towards the sky.

A moment later, Han Li was floating above the small island. Although it was enveloped in a barrier of mist, his sight wasnt obstructed at all as the mist was the result of his own formation spells.

The scene before him caused his expression to change several times. Thanks to the formation spells that he had placed on the mountain range and his cave residence, they were left mostly unharmed. However, the areas outside the formation spell were still groaning from ongoing tremors.

Not only were the hills and other tall masses of earth breaking into dust with huge cracks starting to appear throughout the island, but the vegetation had folded into the earth from the violent quaking as well.

But that alone wasnt enough to cause Han Li to be at a loss! There were also stormy waves that suddenly surged around the island.

Four-hundred-meter tall waves continuously thrashed against the island and washed away the earth, turning nearly half the island into lakes and marshes.

Out past the vast ocean mists in the direction of the huge waves, there were monstrous snarls that were inserted among the rolls of thunder as if a mad beast was furiously thrashing about. Each of its roars was soon followed by thunder and a huge wave.

Looking in the direction of the huge waves, Han Li thought, Could it be that a high grade demon beast is stirring up havoc nearby?

From the earth shattering scene, it was certain to be a demon beast that possessed a huge body.

With that thought, Han Lis curiosity was on the rise.

After muttering to himself for a short moment, he enveloped himself in azure radiance and flew straight into the fog towards the directions of the roars.

For fear of being seen, Han Li restrained his Qi and dimmed the radiance of his aura until it was no longer visible. In an instant, there was no longer any trace of him.

After flying into the sea mist, Han Li managed to find his goal with a single glance.

Nearby, there was an enormous demon beast wildly thrashing about! Although he had already anticipated this, Han Li took in a cold breath of fright at its size.

This giant was the first tortoise type demon beast he had ever seen. Its body spanned about three kilometers in area and it seemed as if there was a huge mountain floating in the ocean. Its shell was pitch-black and it had huge pillar-like legs. It also had a three-hundred-meter long silver tail that continuously swept at the nearby sea.

With the head of an azure flood dragon, the tortoise roared towards the sky. With each of its roars, huge waves and demonic white winds spread outward from its body, thoroughly enveloping the sea in its ongoing outbursts.

But what shocked Han Li the most wasnt this but the dense black clouds that the tortoise was roaring at tens of thousands of miles in the sky. Dense overlapping bolts of lightning struck down from the black skies to form fearsome webs of lightning around the demon tortoise, continuously striking at it.

The tortoise relied on the huge waves and demonic winds to forcibly block the strikes of the heavenly lightning. Although it managed to remain unharmed, it became increasingly violent as the barrage continued, gradually turning its originally emerald green eyes to red.

Metamorphosis Tribulation! Han Li muttered to himself with a bewildered expression. He blinked in shock.

The Metamorphosis Tribulation is a tribulation of heavenly lightning that all demon beasts experience when they ascend from grade seven to grade eight. After experiencing this tribulation, the demon beast will be able to shed off its beastial form and change into a more human-like form. And as their cultivation grows deeper, so will the intensity of their transformation as well.

It was said that when a demon beast reached grade ten, they were completely indistinguishable from a human.

Although Han Li had encountered this information many times in jade slips, he was now witnessing the scene with his own eyes. He didnt know whether he should consider himself fortunate or unlucky.

Its appearance could be considered fortunate as it answered Han Lis doubts about whether or not grade eight demon beasts resided near Wondrous Depths Island. This gave him hope of finding Thousand Leaves Dew later on.

Unfortunately, after its tribulation, the demon beast would likely set up its nest in the nearby water. Han Li had no interest in becoming neighbors with a grade eight demon beast! It may be a grade eight demon beast that had just ascended, but it would still be quite difficult for Han Li to evade its notice.

It was still unable to find his cave residence while it was a grade seven demon beast. But after it reached grade eight, its strengthened spiritual sense would pose a problem.

Perhaps one day, the demon tortoise would arrive at his cave residence. When it came to enforcing their own territory, high grade demon beasts werent exactly known to be lenient.

Could it be that I will have to discard my cave residence after having only just established it? Han Li flusteredly thought. The flying swords contained in his body began to shake with excitement. feewebnove.co

By the time he was forced out of seclusion, he had already finished tempering his seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords with the refined crystal.

It had been significantly more difficult to process the refined crystal than he had anticipated. His original estimate of half a year had actually stretched into nearly an entire year.

With that done, Han Li decided to take advantage of the continued seclusion to specially temper his flying swords.

Were it not for the disturbance of the demon beast, he wouldve likely spent several more months in seclusion.

I should take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack while its Origin Qi is still greatly damaged after it finishes its tribulation. If I am able to kill it, it would be a cause for joy, but if I fail, I will have to leave the island. With that thought, Han Lis heart grew tense. But a moment later, he shook his head in rejection of the idea.

Even when greatly weakened, he still wouldnt prove to be an opponent of a grade eight demon beast.

Han Li didnt know precisely how powerful grade eight demon beasts were, but he had personally witnessed the earth-shattering strength of the divine abilities of Nascent Soul cultivators.

With such great danger, it would be better to just pack up and leave.

Unfortunately, his Gold Devouring Beetles were laying eggs. He wasnt sure what would happen if he were to bring them along in his storage pouch, but he didnt have much choice.

Han Li watched the lightning flicker against the body of the huge tortoise and sighed before returning to his cave residence.

Han Li didnt want to wait for the demon beast to finish its tribulation and discover him hiding away. That would be utterly disastrous!

But just as Han Li turned around, a series of sharp whistles came from across the horizon, accompanied by flickers of golden light.

Then from the opposite horizon, a melodious sigh of wind spread throughout the sky, making way for a red streak of radiance that flew over.

When Han Li saw this, he unconsciously frowned. But before he could respond, a huge disturbance in the sea rose from near the huge turtle. Several tens of thick pillars of fire shot out of the sea, and the sea water began to quickly rise as if something gigantic was emerging from the sea.

Han Li was greatly shocked by this and hastily shot away to conceal himself before watching the scene with amazement.

With a flash of blue light, a huge red beast emerged from the parted waves. Upon revealing itself, it released a horse-like neigh at a monstrous volume, leaving Ha Lis ears buzzing.

Stunned, Han Li nearly fell from the sky. He hastily released magic power to steady himself.

As he quickly circulated his Great Development Arts throughout his body, Han Li stared at the strange demon beast with a pale face full of awe.

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Chapter 519: Profound Yin Arts

The first thing Han Li realized about the rib bone was that it was obviously not the Sage Bones true rib bone. Its current form was merely a trick that the old devil had used to deceive the eyes of others. Without even mentioning the odd material that it had been created from, one could already tell it wasnt any sort of magic treasure from the faint spiritual Qi that it released. However, there was no doubt that it was a man made item. But regardless of whether Han Li immersed it with spiritual sense or spiritual power, the rib didnt respond in the slightest.

Han Li furrowed his brow and immediately recalled that the old devil had tread the path of a demon ghost. Perhaps this item required Yin Soul Qi in order to control it.

Although Han Li didnt possess any Yin Soul Qi himself, he did have the Soul Congregation Bowl1. Acquired in chapter 330, after Han Li slayed the head of the Black Fiend Sect. that he had acquired long ago. He had already consumed all of the Yin souls in order to refine his puppets, but the bowl itself still possessed a great amount of Yin Qi.

He took out the Soul Congregation Bowl from his spirit pouch, and casually stared at the pitch-black bowl in his hand before emitting a flash of blue light from his palm. A trace of Yin Qi then flowed into his body through his hand. After slowly circulating the Yin Qi throughout his body, he grasped the rib bone with his other hand.

Han Li rigidly started at the rib bone as it quickly became enveloped in a ball of icy, black Yin Qi.

The rib bone finally responded. The originally flawless white exterior of the rib bone started to turn black, absorbing the Yin Qi surrounding it, turning half white and half black.

Han Li wasnt particularly surprised by this transformation, he merely raised his eyebrow at the sight. After closing his eyes in thought, Han Li sat up in his bed, suddenly emitting a blinding azure light from the hand holding the Soul Congregation Bowl. At the same time, ghostly wails could be faintly heard from his other hand, gathering an even darker cloud of Yin Qi around the rib bone.

The rib bone wildly devoured the Yin Qi without the slightest restraint. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the rib bone eventually turned completely black.

The bone suddenly began to release a low-pitched hum and emitted rays of pitch-black light, filling the room with a freakish, eerie aura.

Han Li hesitantly put away the Soul Congregation Bowl and relaxed his grip on the bone, allowing it to float from his hand. The Yin Qi that had surrounded the bone was then dispersed by the shock of the black radiance that it suddenly emitted.

Han Lis gaze continuously flickered as he watched the bizarre scene.

Apart from the continuous low-pitched hums and flickers of radiance, the black bone no longer showed another other changes.

After a moment, Han Lis expression stirred, and he suddenly beckoned towards it.

Woosh. The bone flew into his grasp. After taking another look at it, he immersed his spiritual sense into it. This time, his spiritual sense was no longer obstructed, allowing him to easily enter the rib bone.

As a result, black light flashed before his eyes, revealing a stream of huge ancient characters and pictures into his mind.

Jade slip! Han Li muttered with an expression of shock.

The bone was some sort of unique jade slip, something that he had previously guessed. After restraining the excitement in his heart, he started to earnestly analyze the words within.

Profound Yin Arts!

Han Li read through the first half of the words and found them extremely familiar. He was certain that he had read them before. Although he hadnt personally cultivated this renowned Devilish Dao cultivation art, his avatar Crooked Soul had refined a derivative of it, the Divine Bloodlight. After reading through it, Han Li came to the conclusion that while the cultivation arts had many minor differences, as a whole they were largely the same. The rib bone jade slip actually contained the so-called Profound Yin Scriptures.

To tell the truth, Han Li was somewhat disappointed. Since he already cultivated the Azure Essence Sword Arts, he wasnt about to foolishly abandon them to recultivate with this technique even if it did possess an overbearing power.

However, he didnt immediately withdraw his spiritual sense from the Profound Yin Scriptures. The Devil Dao secret techniques that were contained in the second half were something that he could possible cultivate.

Soon after Han Li read through each of the unbelievable secret techniques, his original disappointment turned into surprise, then slight solemness, and finally, excitement.

The secret techniques were powerful and truly inconceivable. He was confident that once he cultivated the ninth layer of the Azure Essence Sword Arts and the suitable secret techniques of the Profound Yin Scriptures, he would be able to escape from any Nascent Soul cultivator that crossed his path. No longer would he be doomed to helplessly accept death if he encountered any of those Nascent Soul Eccentrics!

Among these secret techniques were Zenith Yins Heavenwide Corpsefire. As for the Heavenwide Demon Corpse, they were merely refined corpses that happened to be produced in the process of refining the Corpsefire.

Unfortunately, these secret techniques required the Profound Yin Arts as a cultivation base and required a cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage or higher. Otherwise, he wouldve definitely attempted to refine it for himself. After all, he had personally witness the ferocious power of the Heavenwide Corpsefire.

But even as powerful as it was, the weaknesses of the Heavenwide Corpsefire were made clear from its cultivation chant.

When Han Li saw this, he coldly chuckled. If Zenith Yin tried to use Heavenwide Corpsefire to deal with him in the future, Han Li would surely give him a nice surprise!

After looking through it for a moment more, Han Li was able to find three secret techniques that he fancied that a Core Formation cultivator could refine. He then committed them to memory until he could find the time to cultivate them.

Han Li carefully put away the small rib bone. Along with feelings of great satisfaction from what he had gained, he could feel his heart brimming with excitement.

It was then that Han Li recalled what he had originally planned. Han Lis hand grasped onto the storage pouch containing the Heavenvoid Cauldron with his curiosity once again set aflame.

He instantly stood up from his bed and directly headed towards the hidden room in his cave residence.

If he could somehow manage to open the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he could acquire many ancient treasures, not to mention Heavenmend Pills. He would be able to substantially increase his strength.

With those thoughts in mind, Han Li began a routine where he would observe the Gold Threaded Silkworms every day before spending the rest of the day studying the Heavenvoid Cauldron. In addition, he would occasionally browse through all sorts of ancient jade slips in an attempt to find any hints regarding a way to open the cauldron.

Unfortunately, after half a month passed, Han Li had exhausted all the methods he could think of. He had no choice but to concede that the Heavenvoid Cauldron, the ranked one secret treasure in the Scattered Star Seas, wasnt capable of being opened by a mere Core Formation cultivator such as himself.

The cauldron was truly impressive. Be it heat, water or any of the many treasures that Han Li had used, none of them were able to leave so much as a trace on the cauldron. Even a strike from his recently restored Divine Devilbane Lightning wasnt able to scratch the Heavenvoid Cauldron.

As for other unconventional methods of opening the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Han Li had tried each and every one of them to only be met with failure.

In the end, Han Li could only place the Heavenvoid Cauldron back into his storage pouch and leave the matter be.

As for Han Lis suspicion that the Heavenvoid Cauldron could be opened with the Celestial Ice Pearl, he didnt dare to test it. The Celestial Ice Flames were an existence that inspired fear even in Nascent Soul cultivators. He fundamentally had no thoughts of attempting to refine and control the pearl until he reached either the Nascent Soul stage or perhaps late Core Formation. Han Li was still able to recognize his own limits.

During that half month, the two Gold Threaded Silkworms that consumed the rainbow beads showed no reaction in the slightest. They remained entirely the same as if the beads possessed no medicinal qualities at all. As for the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles Han Li had brought back with him from Heavenvoid Hall, they had already started cannibalizing each other en masse and were on the verge of laying new eggs, much to Han Lis delight.

As of current, Han Lis next matter at hand would be tempering his seventy-two Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

He didnt plan on allowing the refined crystal that he had acquired on the Path of Molten Rock to go to waste either. He wanted to temper traces of the crystal into each of his flying swords. While he wouldnt dare to proclaim his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords as indestructible after the inclusion of the refined crystal, the number of items that could damage them in this world would be very few. It would prove to be quite advantageous in his future battles against high grade cultivators.

However, processing the crystal was an extremely grueling process.

As the item itself was an extraordinary material, Han Li reckoned that the crystal would require at least half a year to refine with the aid of formation spells. But if he were to run out of magic power halfway and interrupt the procedure, the crystal would be completely destroyed.

This was no joking matter!

Originally, he wouldnt have dared to make an attempt with his measly early Core Formation cultivation, even with the aid of spiritual medicines. However, he now had the Myriad Year Spirit Milk. Although he had used a portion of it in his rush to Heavenly Star City, he still had more than enough to process the crystal.

Since he would encounter no small amount of danger in the nearby seas, it was imperative that Han Li tempered his flying swords so that he may withstand any dangers that he encountered.

If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! Ive also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.

Chapter 518: Flame Mirage Moth

Han Li nimbly grabbed one of the beads within the box and held it between his fingers close to his eye. After staring at it for a moment, Han Li slowly closed his eyes and reviewed the image of what he had seen in the jade slip.

The image was of a fist-sized pearl that emitted rainbow light and had over ten smaller beads floating around it. Those smaller pearls appeared exactly the same as the one currently in his hand. As for the large rainbow pearl, it was the Heavenmend Pill that he had seen shooting out of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. This strange image had appeared in the jade slip without the slightest description, provoking an air of mystery.

When Han Li had swept his mind past the image in the jade slip he had acquired from Gu Yu, he had been astonished. It was for that reason he had decided to add on a treasure talisman as payment for the jade slip. Were it not for this, he wouldve only given Gu Yu the medicine pills at most.

The jade slip possessed many bizarre images, but each of them lacked any kind of description. There were pictures of magic tools and treasures, as well as many demon beasts and ghostly monstrosities that Han Li had never seen before. After seeing the picture of the Heavenmend Pill among them, he felt that these images must be extremely significant.

Han Li carefully committed these pictures to memory and would treat them with great importance should he see them in the future.

However, Han Li glanced at the beads in the case with a trace of awkwardness.

There was no doubt that these rainbow beads had a strong relationship with the Heavenmend Pill. Why else would they appear together in the image? After considering that the beads had been refined from Zenith Brilliances skeleton, he suddenly recalled Zenith Brilliances Bloodjade Spiders. Could it be that the Bone Sages traitorous disciple had entered Heavenvoid Hall with the spiders and acquired a Heavenmend Pill?

This was one possible explanation as to why Zenith Brilliances bones had turned rainbow colored and why they had formed into beads after being exposed to flames.

From Han Lis experience with taking many medicine pills, the Heavenmend Pill mustve either not yet been fully refined, or its medicinal nature was so fierce that it required one to continue strenuously refining it after consumption.

From these conjectures and its prominent appearance in the jade slip, it appeared like these rainbow beads held a significant relation towards the Heavenmend Pearl.

Although using a cultivators body as a pill furnace to produce medicine pills was rarely seen in the cultivation world, Han Li had personally witnessed this once before. The Black Fiend Schools Blood Congealed Five Element Cores was one particularly bloody and tyrannical example.

But with all this being said, it was only Han Lis wishful thinking in the end. He wasnt about to rashly swallow them without further deliberation.

With some further thought, he decided to leave this hidden room and head towards the insect rooms.

His current insect rooms werent as simple as they had been in Heavenly Star City. They were split into five stone rooms of differing sizes. Among two of these rooms were Han Lis two separate groups of Gold Devouring Beetles.

One of the swarms had followed Han Li through Heavenvoid Hall in a display of amazing strength, with the tens of thousands Gold Devouring Beetles having consumed no small number of Ironfire Ants. The other swarm was made up of the thousand elites he had left in his cave residence at Heavenly Star City.

Perhaps due to eating a great number of Ironfire Ants, the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles appeared to be on the verge of reproducing. Theyd already started to devour one another, much to Han Lis pleasant surprise.

As for the other stone rooms, one housed Han Lis sole remaining Bloodjade Spider while another room housed his perpetually sleeping Weeping Soul Beast. The final room contained the Gold Threaded Silkworms he had acquired from Heavenvoid Hall.

Although Han Li had the Weeping Soul Beasts control pearl in hand, he had always felt hesitant about refining it, and decided to put it away for the time being. Rather, his delay in refining it didnt seem to affect the spirit beast all that much.

When Han Lis acquisition of the Gold Threaded Silkworms hadnt occurred on a whim. They had a position on the list of exotic insects despite being ranked quite low. Although they werent a match for the Bloodjade Spider, they had a seldomly known second evolution. Given enough time, they could possibly evolve into a Flame Mirage Moth. While they would still be somewhat weaker than the Gold Devouring Beetles, ranking seventeen on the list of exotic insects, they had an innate ability of transformation.

While its power was formidable, its description was quite vague. It seems this insect had seldomly been seen even in ancient times. Even if the Mirage Flame Moths high ranking was somewhat inaccurate, it was by no means insignificant.

As such, in spite of the old eccentrics flabbergasted gaze, he had chosen to gather up the Gold Threaded Silkworms that were on the verge of death. They had been discarded by Wan Tianming without the slightest hesitation as the Gold Threaded Silkworms had nearly exhausted the entirety of their Origin Qi at the time.

After acquiring them, Han Li continuously fed them Soul Nurturing Pills and other rare spiritual medicines. However, all this had seemingly accomplished at this point was prolonging the inevitable. With each passing day, they grew increasingly haggard and Han Li could only helplessly watch as they continued to decline.

At that moment, an idea suddenly came to him. He directly arrived at the Gold Threaded Silkworms room and frowned at what he saw through the spell restriction barrier.

At that moment, the huge dark-green silkworms were motionlessly lying on the ground as if they had already died. Were it not for the faint spiritual Qi emitted from their bodies, he wouldve believed them to be dead.

Han Li entered the room without hesitation and circled around the exotic insects for a moment before picking out the male and female silkworms with the strongest spirit amongst them. Afterwards, he took out two rainbow beads from the jade box and fed one to each silkworm before leaving the room.

Han Lis thoughts were quite simple.

Since these insects couldnt be saved, he may as well test test the medicinal effects of the rainbow beads. With the grand reputation of the Heavenmend Pill, their medicinal powers should be beyond miraculous.

If these beads were as he had imagined and were truly Heavenmend Pills, then he would stand to benefit even if the Gold Threaded Silkworms couldnt be saved.

Naturally, if the Gold Threaded Silkworms responded negatively to the beads, he would no longer pay any heed to the beads.

The following days were spent looking after the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng with the utmost care. This unique root was of great importance to his later formation of a Nascent Soul.

At the center of his medicinal garden, Han Li sectioned off a small piece of earth. After placing down formation flags that he had specifically refined for the task, the surrounding soil became an impenetrable layer of golden stone.

With this, he could finally place the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng inside with confidence.

As for the ginsengs white rabbit spirit incarnation, it was still trapped inside a jade box. Han Li had no intention of keeping it there for long. After all, it could have a negative effect on the spirit ginseng if they were separated for too long.

Han Li then brought the talisman clad jade box into the medicinal garden and placed it at the spirit ginsengs side.

After tearing off the talismans and opening the box, a streak of white light shot out of the box and circled around the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng before disappearing inside it.

When Han Li saw this, he wore a knowing smile.

It seemed the white rabbit incarnation was filled with trepidation since it had already been captured once before. It was quite timid.

But when Han Li glanced at the Ninecurl Spirit Ginsengs body, he began to ponder whether or not the green liquid would have any miraculous effects on it.

He then put the thought aside for the time being. The spirit ginseng wasnt going anywhere, and the green liquid was required elsewhere. These tests would have to be saved for later.

Furthermore, the green liquid might greatly increase the abilities of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, allowing it to possibly escape from the formation spell and leave him overcome with grief.

This wasnt an ordinary plant, but a legendary divine medicinal plant. It was best to be careful.

With that thought, Han Li no longer paid any attention to the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng after successfully containing it.

As for the green liquid, Han Li was currently using all of it to mature the Soul Nurturing Tree, one of the renowned three divine woods. Although it was only a small root, Han Li was confident that within several years, it would regrow back into a ten thousand year tree.

Originally, Han Li intended to study the Heavenvoid Cauldron, and see if he could find a way to open it.

But in the process, he accidentally stumbled across the Bone Sages small rib bone, diverting his interest for the time being. Since it was able to withstand the fearsome Sacred Asura Flames, it should prove to be quite unordinary.

Laying down on his bed, he toyed with the sparkling white item in his hand as he curiously glanced at it.

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Chapter 517: Island in the Mist

By the time the white robed cultivator and the old man finished their discussion, Han Li had already entered a nearby miscellaneous goods store near the Golden Thumb Pavilion. He purchased a map of the local seas and information on the demon beasts that roamed around there before leaving. After finding a secluded area, Han Li started to look through the information.

After only a cursory glance, Han Li unconciously frown.

There were truly far too many dangerous areas in the vicinity of Profound Depths Island. Could it be that high grade demon beasts often roamed through these areas?

As for the location of the famed depths, it wasnt too far away from the island. Han Li would be able to reach it after only flying half a month south at full speed. However, the depths were truly vast, spanning over five million kilometers of jagged, uneven territory. This was without even mentioning the territorys unfathomable depths, as no one had yet to truly explore its farthest reaches.

After Han Li skimmed once through the jade slip, he quickly put it away. Standing in place with a solemn expression, he lowered his head as began to think deeply.

After an unknown amount of time had past, Han Li raised his head, wearing an indifferent expression. He then directly flew out of Blackrock City without any further deliberation. Upon leaving the city, Han Li immediately turned into a streak of azure light and soared through the skies.

Profound Depths Island was a medium-sized island, but apart from Blackrock City, the island was completely barren. Not a single village or town could be seen.

For some unknown reason, it seemed that both cultivators and mortals werent setting up residence on the other parts of the island.

Han Li quickly flew away from Wondrous Depths Island. After raising his head to the skies and determining his direction, he headed north.

Currently, he wanted to find an island where cultivators scarcely appeared. He didnt want to be in a crowded area and attract attention. As a result, he deliberately chose to fly far away from the Wondrous Depths.

There werent many cultivators in the seas around Wondrous Depths Island. In addition, all those islands had cultivators and mortals residing on them. Han Li didnt bother to stop at any of them and shot past them without regard.

It was clear that the northern seas had far fewer cultivators as he had expected.

After flying for about twelve days, he sparsely saw any other cultivators. And when he did encounter them, the low grade cultivators would immediately veer out of his way, and high grade cultivators would watch him with vigilance. Like other demon beast islands, killing others for their treasures was a common occurrence.

Han Li was particularly vigilant as well.

After flying for another two days and finally seeing no trace of other cultivators, Han Li changed direction and started flying west.

According to the map, there would be a few islands with small spirit veins in that direction. As the spirit veins on these islands were low grade, and the distance from the Wondrous Depths was far, along with a complete lack of safety and other various reasons, very few cultivators resided there.

In the case of mortals, they all took residence on the islands nearby Wondrous Depths Island, ensuring some degree of safety.

Of course, Han Li didnt care about these conditions. He merely wanted to take a look and see if any of the islands were to his liking.

…

About thirty kilometers ahead of him, Han Li spotted a small island. This would be the fourth uninhabited island with a spirit vein he had encountered so far.

The island wasnt large, but its terrain was both uncommon and varied. There were barren landscapes, dense forests full of unknown trees, grasslands with beautiful flowers and even a small mountain range.

Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the island and found no traces of any other cultivators staying there.

The spirit vein on this island wasnt low-grade. Despite its small size, it was actually a peak mid-grade spirit vein. While it couldnt be considered a top-grade spirit vein, it still released an abundance of spiritual Qi.

It seemed the reason why other cultivators had left this island alone wasnt due to the spirit vein, but rather the small islands exceptionally strange environment.

However, there was something about the island that Han Li fancied in particular: the vast white mist that surrounded it. The mist wasnt natural, it was produced by a few nearby whirlpools. While the mist did cover the islands sides, it didnt surround it from above.

Han Li was quite amazed by the sight, but when he dived into the nearby waters and saw the island from underwater, the source of the mist was made clear.

At the bottom of the island, there were countless finger-sized holes along with thousands upon thousands of slender silver fish darting through them. While the fish appeared no different from common small fish, after catching one with his hands covered in spiritual power, Han Li discovered that it had no scales. Instead, it was covered in sharp spikes of silver bone. Had an ordinary person attempted to hold it, they wouldve been left with shredded hands.

As Han Li looked at it, a thought suddenly came to mind, Sea Shredder Fish!

This small fish is a low grade one demon beast that lives in large schools and spouts water out from the surface of the sea as a source of enjoyment. The source of its ridiculous name is likely due to the iron-like spikes protruding from its body.

With so many Sea Shredder Fish in the islands vicinity, they were able to spout out enough sea water to completely cover the entire island in mist. It made for a rare sight indeed.

If Han Li hadnt encountered a Silverwing Bird on his way and chased after it through the fog, he never wouldve found the island. He undoubtedly wouldve just brushed past the fog. Seeing a bit of sea mist in the distance was extremely common.

After circling around the island several times, he quickly came to the decision to establish his cave residence on this island.

What other island could possibly be more secretive and to his liking than this one?

The small spirit vein was located on the islands five-kilometer-long mountain range with a few sparse peaks, the tallest peak reaching a hundred twenty meters high. Being so small, Han Li didnt have the option for an expansive cave residence. Hence, he merely looked for a small valley at the bottom of the mountain range and started to tunnel through the stone.

With Han Lis current cultivation, it was practically effortless for him to carve out a cave residence similar to his previous one. After a few short days, he managed to finish carving out the general outline of his new residence.

Han Li was disinterested in carving out the finer details of his cave residence. Instead, he first set down a few formation tools that he had personally refined, covering both his cave residence and the mountain range in a spell restriction.

At a distance, the mountain range could no longer be seen, and was instead replaced by a verdant forest. The illusory forest seamlessly bordered a nearby forest without the slightest flaw.

From above, Han Li carefully examined the mountain range with chin in hand and was left feeling somewhat uneasy. If a high grade cultivator happened to pass through the mist like he had, this restriction wouldnt be enough to fool them.

After muttering to himself, an idea suddenly came to mind.

Han Li directly flew back to his new cave residence and quickly inspected the materials he had on hand before starting to refine some items in a secret room.

Seven days later, Han Li emerged once more from his cave residence with a dozen sets of similar formation tools.

These sets of formation flags and formation plates were extremely crude, and by no means impressive. But after Han Li placed them at various areas throughout the small island, streams of mist began to wildly emerge from each of the formations. Soon, the new expanse of mist merged together with the existing mist of sea water to completely envelop the island, hiding it entirely from view. In this manner, any cultivators passing by would find it difficult to spot the island unless they were flying at a low altitude.

After examining it from every angle, Han Li finally felt at ease. Although he had spent no small number of spirit stones to activate so many formations, he didnt care in the least. He was more than willing to bankrupt himself to avoid any potential disasters.

Han Li then returned to his cave residence with the utmost speed before hammering out some of the finer details of his cave residence such as his insect room, herb garden, and so on.

Two days later, Han Li was sitting inside a stone room with a solemn expression. He was immersing his spiritual sense into the yellow jade slip that Gu Yu had given to him, carefully sifting through its content.

With a twitch of his face, he extracted his spiritual sense from the jade slip and entered a state of deep contemplation.

A moment later, he stood up and strolled around the stone room several times before wearing a heavier expression.

He then clutched his storage pouch and took out a white jade box. Han Li gazed at it for a moment before slowly opening the box to reveal a few small, rainbow-colored beads.

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Chapter 516: Demon Echo Grass

Forgoing any needless pretensions, Han Li bluntly asked, Does Fellow Daoist Gu happen to know about Thousand Leaf Dew?

Thousand Leaf Dew? Gu Yu paused for a moment before quickly replying in a mutter, This name has a bit of an impression on me. Had you asked me about it a few years ago, I wouldve had no idea. In the past two years, this Junior obtained an ancient record that happened to mention it. This Junior happens to have a duplication of it on a jade slip. Would Senior like to take a look at it? Having said that, Gu Yu revealed a somewhat cautious expression.

Han Li rejoiced and couldnt help but reveal excitement in his eyes.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Han Li smiled and said, It is even better that you have the records. If I do find it, then I must truly thank you.

Gu Yu was also quite pleased. Being able to receive the favor of a Core Formation cultivator was a truly fortunate matter.

He quickly patted down his body before taking out a yellow jade slip and presenting to Han Li with both hands.

Gu Yu respectfully said, This is the jade slip. Please examine it, Senior!

Han Li bluntly accepted the jade slip and quickly immersed his spiritual sense into it.

In a mere moment, Han Lis expression changed from excitement to doubt and then contemplation.

Li Xun carefully watched Han Lis every movement. Upon seeing Han Lis expression change several times, an indescribable emotion flickered from his eyes.

Gu Yu was particularly apprehensive, fearing that the Thousand Leaves Dew that was mentioned in the jade slip wasnt the item Han Li was searching for.

Han Li eventually recalled his spiritual sense from the jade slip and slowly said, Yes, this is the item. However, the excitement in his eyes had greatly faded.

After the old mans gaze flickered he probed, What is it? Is there something troublesome about the Thousand Leaves Dew?

Han Li bitterly smiled. I didnt expect that this item would be so troublesome to acquire. Its closely related to grade eight demon beasts.

Li Xun shockingly glanced at Han Li with an expression of disbelief, Grade eight demon beasts?

Han Li sighed and helplessly explained, Thats right. The Thousand Leaves Dew is actually an extract of Demon Echo Grass. To be more exact, from Demon Echo Grass that grows close to grade eight demon beasts.

Li Xun was left speechless by Han Lis words.

He naturally knew what Demon Echo Grass was. It was something that often grew near demon beast nests as it required long years of exposure to demonic Qi to grow and sustain itself. However, Demon Echo Grass found near the den of a grade eight demon beast was an entirely different matter altogether.

Although it was rumored that grade nine and even grade ten demon beasts had been sighted in the Outer Star Seas, at the end of the day, they had only appeared in rumors. As for the old man, the highest grade demon beast he had seen at Blackrock City was a grade seven demon beast, let alone a grade eight demon beast.

Li Xun saw that Han Lis gaze held a trace of astonishment and discouragement. Just what kind of precious medicine pill did he plan on refining, to actually require such an incredulous material?

After toying with the jade slip in his hand, he revealed a trace of hesitation before saying something to Gu Yu that surprised him, This jade slip has some records that I may need to further examine in the future. Would it be acceptable for Fellow Daoist Gu to give this jade slip to me?

Gu Yu paused for a moment and then frankly said, If Senior has a use for it, then please feel free to take it!

Seeing that Gu Yu was being quite agreeable, Han Li nodded his head and flipped his hand, summoning a small bottle and a talisman with a drawing of a small yellow sword on it.

As your Senior, I naturally cant let you come out of this empty handed. The bottle has some medicine pills that can increase your cultivation, and this is a treasure talisman. Go ahead and take them. Han Li then casually tossed the items over to him.

Many thanks for Seniors generosity! After receiving the items, Gu Yu was unable to contain his joy and repeatedly thanked Han Li. To a Qi Condensation cultivator like himself, these items were truly precious.

Since Senior Crooked Soul has already bestowed treasures upon you, you may leave for the time being, Gu Yu. Li Xu was quite shocked at Han Lis display of generosity, but he still remembered to dismiss Gu Yu with a calm expression.

In the blink of an eye, they were once again the only two people in the room.

Is there anything else that I may assist you with apart from that matter? Please dont hesitate to ask. Li Xun spoke in an exceptionally forthright manner.

Since thats the case, there is one other thing that I wish to trouble you with. Might you be selling the horn of an Agate Beast?

Hehe, Fellow Daoist came to the right place! Although Agate Beast Horn is an exceptionally rare material, I managed to purchase two such horns last month. If Fellow Daoist desires it, I can sell one to you right away. The old man clapped his hands with a smile and immediately gave the order for it to be delivered without a moment of pause.

Pleasant surprise appeared on Han Lis face as he repeatedly expressed his thanks.

Not long after, a young servant entered the room while carrying an exquisite wooden box on a silver plate.

Fellow Daoist, take a look. Does this Agate Horn fulfill your expectations?

Han Li solemnly nodded his head and reached out to the wooden box. As soon as he opened the box, blue light was released, revealing a half-foot-long spiral horn. The sharp horn shined with a strikingly brilliant blue light.

Han Li then closed the wooden box with a satisfied expression, Not bad! This will be quite suitable. Could Fellow Daoist tell me how many spirit stones this will cost?

Li Xun pleasantly smiled and said, This store acquired the horn for five thousand spirit stones. Since Fellow Daoist requires it, you only need to return the cost.

Naturally, Han Li wasnt going to haggle over the price. He immediately expressed his thanks and took out the equivalent in mid grade spirit stones before handing it over to the old man.

The old man received the spirit stones with a wave of his sleeve and then asked with a wide smile, Does Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul have any plans in mind following his arrival on the island? Although Fellow Daoists magic power is profound, the demon beasts here are truly hard to handle. No small number of Core Formation cultivators have been seriously injured by tackling the seas alone. How about I introduce you to a few similar grade cultivators? It would be considerably safer if you were to set out to sea together.

Han Li smiled upon hearing this. The purpose of the old mans courteous and friendly behavior from the beginning was for drawing him in.

Many thanks for Fellow Daoist Lis kindness. However, I must soon prepare to refine a few medicine pills. And after I consume the pills, I will have to enter seclusion for some time. I wont be heading out to hunt demon beasts in the near future. Han Li gave a smooth refusal with an embarrassed expression, but in truth, he was absolutely unwilling to travel out to sea with unfamiliar cultivators.

Although a trace of disappointment flickered across his face, he immediately continued without a care, That is fine too. It is considerably safer to first increase ones cultivation and ones familiarity with the region. However, if Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul does later wish to find companions, please dont forget about me!

Han Li naturally agreed and further chatted with the old man for a moment before taking his leave.

The old man saw Han Li off at the buildings exit before returning inside.

Just as the old man sat down, he suddenly heard a voice calmly say, How about it? Will this person be useful to us? A vague silhouette soon emerged from the landscape painting on the wall, bringing forth another person into the room.

The white-clothed man remained in the air while covered in azure light, making for a rather mysterious display.

The old man confidently said, There is no need to worry. Although we only chatted for a short moment, from his strange appearance, that cultivator Crooked Soul should be a vagrant cultivator that travels alone. So long as he witnesses the dangers of travelling the depths alone, he will come to know the advantages of my offer. He will come back sooner or later.

The white-clothed man coldly refuted, Humph! That isnt guaranteed.

Li Xun shook his head, What? An early Core Formation cultivator can roam the depths and hunt demon beasts alone?

The white-clothed cultivator grew silent before solemnly saying, He isnt an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. When you were chatting in the room, I was able to feel someone watching me for some unknown reason. Although he didnt glance in the direction I was hidden, I suspect that he was aware of my existence and only chose not to disclose it.

The old man was stunned. He then bewilderedly said, Are you not mistaken? Your concealment technique is something that even higher grade cultivators are incapable of uncovering. Dont tell me that this Crooked Soul fellow is actually a late Core Formation cultivator.

The white-clothed man doubtfully said, Thats hard to say! It is quite possible that he cultivates an unusual cultivation art or possesses some peculiar treasure.

After circling the room several times, the old man eventually frowned and said, Leave it be. Regardless of whether this cultivator is exceptional or ordinary, weve already tried our hardest to befriend him. It was the correct decision either way!

The white-clothed cultivator nodded in approval and spoke no further.

If you enjoy the translation, please consider supporting the novel on Patreon! Every patron counts towards the translation speed goals, no matter how small! Ive also started adding future chapters for preview. With enough support, I will be able to translate full time and release 10+ chapters a week.