Chapter 1130: Yellow Sand Sect

After parting ways with the Ice Phoenix, Han Li stored away the Void Heaven Cauldron and swiftly flew toward the island.

He had no intention of causing trouble for the island’s cultivators. His only goal was to determine his current location and gather information about the Chaotic Star Sea before figuring out how to return to the vicinity of Kui Star Island and locate the ancient teleportation array from back then.

The middle-aged man who directly approached him and extended such a warm invitation was somewhat unexpected, but it aligned perfectly with Han Li’s intentions. Without much hesitation, he casually agreed.

With his current abilities, he had no fear of ordinary cultivators harboring any ulterior motives against him.

Seeing Han Li agree so readily, the middle-aged man surnamed Gan was both surprised and delighted. He hurriedly sent a message talisman back to his three juniors before respectfully guiding Han Li toward the island.

As they flew, Han Li inquired about the nearby sea region and learned that the island ahead was called Bitter Gate Island—a sizable landmass with several cities inhabited by mortals, entirely controlled by the Yellow Sand Sect.

Millions of miles north of Bitter Gate Island lay one of the Inner Twelve Star Islands—Gui Star Island.

Hearing this, Han Li’s mind stirred.

Thanks to his exceptional memory, he still vividly recalled the map of the Chaotic Star Sea. If he wasn’t mistaken, his current location wasn’t too far from Heavenly Star City, though it was quite distant from Kui Star Island. Moreover, the route back would conveniently pass through Heavenly Star City.

Speaking of the Chaotic Star Sea, the number of demonic beasts here far surpassed those in the South Sky and Great Jin. However, Han Li had no interest whatsoever in the demon cores of low-level beasts.

As for demonic beasts above the eighth rank—those capable of human transformation—they had already awakened intelligence and couldn’t be lured with Rainbow Skirt Grass. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have minded making another trip to the Outer Star Sea.

Lost in thought, Han Li followed the middle-aged cultivator past the port and deep into the island for over ten thousand miles until they arrived above a majestic, picturesque mountain teeming with dense spiritual energy.

At the summit stood a grand palace complex, resplendent with pavilions and towers. Several unknown, brilliantly colored spirit birds circled above, creating an ethereal, immortal-like atmosphere.

“Fellow Daoist Gan, your sect truly appears prosperous!” Han Li remarked with a faint smile.

“Haha, Brother Han must be laughing at me! This is just the frivolous work of our juniors,” the middle-aged man surnamed Gan replied with a bitter chuckle.

After all, for a Nascent Soul-level cultivator, such artificially constructed grandeur was rather unimpressive.

Han Li chuckled again but said nothing more.

Before they could descend, melodious immortal music rose from the peak, and two groups of beautiful female cultivators in colorful palace attire emerged from the palaces below to welcome them. Leading them were the three Core Formation male and female cultivators from earlier.

This time, however, their expressions toward Han Li were filled with deep reverence and awe.

Han Li gave a faint, unassuming smile and calmly descended.

He was ushered into a grand hall atop the peak, where the interior, unlike the ostentatious exterior, was serene and refined.

The middle-aged Gan and Han Li took their seats as host and guest, while the other three stood to the side.

Without preamble, Han Li inquired about the current state of the Chaotic Star Sea.

Though inwardly puzzled, Gan assumed Han Li was a recluse who had secluded himself for many years and thus answered truthfully.

Upon hearing that the Chaotic Star Sea was even more chaotic than when he had left, Han Li fell into deep thought.

“Brother Han, the place you emerged from earlier—was it the legendary Void Heaven Palace? How did you come to exit from there?” After much deliberation, Gan finally ventured the question, sensing that Han Li wasn’t the type to lash out violently.

After all, he had personally witnessed Han Li teleporting out of the colossal palace.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly before returning to normal.

“Fellow Daoist Gan is truly knowledgeable to recognize the Void Heaven Palace at a glance. It’s nothing—I was trapped inside for a time and only recently escaped,” Han Li replied casually.

“I see! But that fairy who was with you earlier…” Gan cautiously changed the subject to the Ice Phoenix.

“She was a fellow Daoist trapped with me. She had urgent matters to attend to and left first,” Han Li replied indifferently.

“I see! Was that fairy, like you, a late-stage cultivator?” Gan probed carefully.

“Heh, that fellow Daoist had already reached the late stage long ago. I am far from her level,” Han Li said with a sidelong glance and a chuckle.

Gan’s heart skipped a beat as he mentally reviewed the famous female cultivators of the Chaotic Star Sea, but none matched the silver-robed woman’s description.

As for Han Li, his appearance was far too ordinary, offering no clues.

But this wasn’t unusual—some powerful recluses could remain in seclusion for five or six centuries without ever emerging.

“Fellow Daoist Gan, I urgently need a batch of mid-grade spirit stones and materials. Of course, high-grade spirit stones would be even better. I happen to have two unused treasures that I can offer in exchange,” Han Li suddenly declared.

With a flick of his sleeve, a silver ring and an ancient yellow halberd appeared on the table beside him—relics he had casually collected after slaying high-level demonic beasts in the Void Spirit Hall.

To Han Li, such treasures were expendable, but in the resource-scarce Chaotic Star Sea, they were highly coveted.

Moreover, the spiritual energy radiating from these two artifacts indicated they were rare, high-tier ancient treasures.

“Brother Han is too kind! Mid-grade spirit stones and materials are no issue—our sect has plenty in storage. Even if some materials are lacking, we can gather them from the island’s markets. As for high-grade spirit stones, our island has only seven or eight, but you’re welcome to exchange for them.”

Gan’s gaze lingered on the two treasures, his heart burning with desire. He showed no surprise at Han Li’s casual display of such items and readily agreed.

“Seven or eight high-grade spirit stones?” Han Li blinked, his expression turning odd.

To his knowledge, the Chaotic Star Sea suffered from an even greater spirit stone shortage than the Great Jin or South Sky. How could a mere Yellow Sand Sect possess so many?

Seeing Han Li’s thoughtful expression, Gan suddenly realized his oversight.

“Ah, my apologies! I forgot to mention this earlier. Over a century ago, someone discovered an extraordinarily rich spirit stone vein on a remote island in the Outer Sea, containing numerous high-grade spirit stones. Though they remain rare, the situation has improved compared to before. Nearly every sect now keeps a reserve.”

“A high-grade spirit stone vein? Such a deposit still exists in the human world?” Han Li was visibly astonished.

“Indeed. At first, many dismissed it as a rumor. But when the Star Palace and the Anti-Star Alliance clashed over the island, the truth became clear. The vein even drew the attention of high-level demonic beasts from the Outer Star Sea, leading to fierce battles. Many cultivators and beasts perished in the struggle. Now, the vein is divided among the three factions, and the conflict has temporarily ceased,” the Yellow Sand Sect’s Grand Elder explained.

Han Li nodded silently.

This was excellent news for him. His humanoid puppets were nearly depleted of high-grade spirit stones after recent uses, and this presented a perfect opportunity to replenish his supply.

Fortunately, this sea region wasn’t far from Heavenly Star City, and the detour would be minimal. He could use the Star Palace’s teleportation array to reach the vein directly, losing little time in the process.

In an instant, Han Li made up his mind.

Without further delay, he retrieved a jade slip from his storage pouch and copied a list of required materials into it.

The Yellow Sand Sect’s Grand Elder issued a few commands, and the yellow-robed man took the slip and hurried off to fulfill the request.

For the remainder of the time, Han Li engaged in casual conversation with the sect leader.

With Gan deliberately catering to him, the two appeared to converse amiably.

Seizing the rare opportunity to consult a late-stage Great Cultivator, Gan posed several cultivation-related questions.

Though Han Li had only recently advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, his extensive knowledge of cultivation techniques—including both orthodox and unorthodox methods—allowed him to provide insightful answers that greatly benefited Gan, deepening the latter’s respect.

The green-robed elder and the alluring woman standing nearby also listened intently, not missing a single word—this was a rare chance for enlightenment.

After several hours, a streak of light shot into the hall, revealing the yellow-robed man, now dust-covered, holding a bulging storage pouch.

“Senior, aside from a few materials our island lacks, everything on your list has been gathered. The high-grade spirit stones have also been included.”

The man stepped forward and respectfully presented the pouch to Han Li.

Han Li took it, scanned it with his spiritual sense, and nodded in satisfaction.

“I have matters to attend to and cannot linger. Farewell!”

With that, he stored the pouch, gave a slight nod to Gan, and transformed into a dazzling azure streak that vanished into the horizon.

“Finally, he’s gone! I thought our Yellow Sand Sect was in for serious trouble! This Senior Han seems quite reasonable,” the alluring woman exclaimed, patting her chest in relief the moment Han Li’s light disappeared.