Han Li manipulated his second Spirit Infant, slowly infusing relevant language techniques and cultivation methods into the Soul-Crying Beast’s consciousness.
This was only possible because Han Li possessed a second Spirit Infant and the Soul-Crying Beast was under his control. Otherwise, even if another Nascent Soul cultivator had the necessary secret techniques, they would never dare to attempt such an infusion so casually.
After the time it took to finish a meal, the black-robed “Han Li,” who had previously appeared dazed and vacant, gradually regained clarity in his eyes. With a flicker of his gaze, it seemed he had suddenly comprehended many things.
Han Li dispersed his hand seals and beckoned toward the opposite side.
With a *puff*, the second Spirit Infant flew out from the Soul-Crying Beast’s body, its spiritual light dimming significantly, clearly having suffered considerable energy depletion.
The Spirit Infant flickered once before vanishing back into Han Li’s body.
“Do you understand my earlier question now?” he asked slowly once more.
The Soul-Crying Beast blinked its eyes, taking a long moment before replying in a measured tone:
“I was imitating my master’s human form, but I also possess other transformation techniques.”
Though it had gained much understanding, the Soul-Crying Beast remained like a newborn infant, incapable of deceit. Moreover, having been personally nurtured by Han Li for so long, aside from its initial instinctive resistance, it now harbored no defiance toward him after gaining intelligence—instead, it became even more reverent.
The reason it had taken Han Li’s form upon advancing and transforming was largely due to this very factor.
Through the faint connection of the Soul-Calling Pearl, Han Li could roughly sense the Soul-Crying Beast’s thoughts. A faint smile appeared on his face before he opened his mouth and inhaled the pearl, which dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, storing it away.
“Transformation techniques? Show me,” Han Li said curiously, naturally wanting to learn more about the Soul-Crying Beast’s abilities.
The black-robed Han Li nodded, emitting a shrill cry before suddenly tearing apart his robe. Coarse, thick fur sprouted from his body as his frame expanded wildly, transforming in the blink of an eye into a two-zhang-tall, pitch-black giant ape.
Han Li raised an eyebrow.
*This is the so-called transformation technique? Isn’t this just the Soul-Crying Beast’s original form before its metamorphosis?*
Just as disappointment flickered in his heart, the giant ape snorted, summoning a chilling wind as countless black lightning bolts crackled around it.
The ape’s body swelled once more!
Its fur turned crimson, three curved horns slowly emerged from its skull, and its brow bulged slightly before splitting open to reveal a single blood-red demonic eye. Its face elongated, revealing sharp fangs.
It had transformed into the very fiend depicted on the Soul-Crying Beast’s back—only now, it appeared even more ferocious, standing six to seven zhang tall, nearly filling the stone chamber.
To Han Li’s further astonishment, three pitch-black bone spikes, each about a zhang long, sprouted from the Soul-Crying Beast’s back, wreathed in dark mist and exuding a sinister aura.
He distinctly remembered that the fiend’s original depiction lacked these spikes. However, the Ghost King he had once devoured had been capable of manifesting similar bone spikes from its arms. *Could there be a connection?*
As Han Li pondered, the fiend-form Soul-Crying Beast suddenly shuddered, collapsing back into a mass of dark mist before shrinking into a small black monkey. With a leap, it scurried to the empty black cocoon nearby, tearing it apart and devouring it ravenously.
Han Li was momentarily stunned before chuckling softly.
Soon, the entire cocoon had vanished into the monkey’s belly. After a joyful cry, it bounded onto Han Li’s shoulder, nuzzling him affectionately.
Han Li reached up to stroke the Soul-Crying Beast’s furry head before smiling and storing it away in his spirit beast pouch.
With that done, he visited the nearby insect chamber to check on his Gold Devouring Beetles.
Gazing at the half-chi-long giant insects, his eyes flickered with contemplation.
Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a flash of cyan light revealed the small emerald vial.
He studied it for a moment, running his fingers over its surface in silence.
*This mysterious vial’s efficacy has increased dramatically since arriving in the Spirit Realm.*
Originally, it took seven days to produce a single drop of spiritual liquid, but in the Spirit Realm, this had shortened to just three days.
Even more astonishing, the once-conspicuous phenomenon of the vial absorbing moonlight had diminished to near imperceptibility.
The dazzling spectacle of light absorption had been reduced to a faint white glow. Unless someone observed it from within a few zhang, they would never notice anything unusual. Even if someone did see it, they’d likely mistake it for a low-grade magical tool.
Han Li had noticed this shortly after regaining his magic power and resuming the acceleration of spiritual herbs.
Without much thought, he deduced that this was likely due to the Spirit Realm’s seven moons and its far denser spiritual energy compared to the human world.
This was undoubtedly a boon for Han Li!
Not only did it drastically reduce the time needed to accelerate herb growth, but it also made the process far more discreet. Now, he could even use the vial covertly while traveling without fear of detection.
After a moment of silent reflection, Han Li stored the vial away, collected the Gold Devouring Beetles and the Leopard-Faced Beast into his storage bracelet, and strode out of the cave.
Knowing full well that his spiritual land was coveted and possibly harbored hidden dangers, he wasn’t about to leave anything important behind.
Moments later, a streak of cyan light shot out from the multicolored miasma, streaking toward Sky Deep City.
Days later, the streak of light soared over the city’s towering walls and entered its bustling districts.
Now familiar with the city, Han Li swiftly arrived before the colossal azure tower where he had first teleported in.
At this hour, traffic in and out of the tower was sparse. Han Li strolled in leisurely.
Following Zhao Wugui’s instructions, he didn’t rush to the so-called reporting location. Instead, he visited a place called the “Celestial Armor Hall” within the tower and obtained a set of “Azure Nether Armor.”
Having personally witnessed the armor’s power on the burly man surnamed Weng, Han Li donned it without hesitation and headed straight for the so-called “Squad Fifty-Six.”
Stopping a Black Iron Guard, he inquired about the squad’s location before ascending through the tower’s levels.
After traversing seven or eight floors, he finally halted before an unassuming hall door inscribed with the ancient characters “Squad Fifty-Six.”
Observing the faint white barrier over the door, Han Li expressionlessly flipped his hand, producing a cyan jade pendant.
With a casual wave of the pendant toward the door, a burst of cyan light dispersed the barrier. He pushed the door open effortlessly and stepped inside.
The spacious hall within was furnished with tables and chairs, with corridors branching off on either side.
At that moment, two black-armored cultivators sat side by side, conversing in low tones.
Startled by Han Li’s entrance, they turned to stare.
Han Li’s gaze swept over them, and his eyebrow twitched slightly.
*What a coincidence.*
One of them was none other than the blue-eyed, burly man surnamed Zhuo who had escorted him to the Flying Spirit Hall.
Recognizing Han Li, the man’s initial surprise gave way to swift realization as he rose and bowed deeply.
“So it’s Senior Han! Could it be that you’ve been appointed as our new squad leader?” The man was sharp-witted indeed.
“Indeed. I’ve been assigned to lead Squad Fifty-Six. I’ll be counting on your cooperation,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, tossing the jade pendant over.
The blue-eyed man caught it, inspected it carefully, and solemnly returned it with both hands.
“Zhuo Chong of Squad Fifty-Six, at your service!”
“Dongguo Feng pays respects to the captain!” The other man, a gaunt thirty-something, also stepped forward to bow.
Han Li gestured for them to rise, then glanced around. “Are you the only ones here?”
“Reporting to the senior, aside from Daoist Ma and Fairy Xu, the others are meditating in their chambers. We two are here awaiting orders regarding our next patrol zone. Shall I summon them?” the blue-eyed man asked.
“No need. I’ll wait with you. Since I’m new to Sky Deep City, I’d appreciate an overview of the squad’s operations,” Han Li said mildly.
“Of course, senior. I’ll explain everything in detail.”
Over the next while, the man introduced the squad’s members and their typical patrol duties.
As Han Li listened impassively, a streak of golden light suddenly shot through the door, heading straight for the trio.
Zhuo Chong and Dongguo Feng exchanged glances but made no move. Han Li, however, casually reached out and snatched the golden light from the air—a small golden sword bearing a pale-red jade slip.
Before he could retrieve the slip, the door swung open, and a refined male voice rang out.
“Ah, the golden missive has arrived. It seems I’m not too late— Hm? You are…” A scholarly-looking Daoist paused mid-step upon spotting Han Li in Azure Nether Armor.
“Brother Ma, this is Senior Han, our new squad leader,” Zhuo Chong quickly introduced.
“Senior Han… This junior pays his respects!” The Daoist masked his surprise with a swift bow.
“No need for formalities, Daoist Ma. You’ve reached the peak of late Nascent Soul stage, just a step away from Deity Transformation. Congratulations,” Han Li said with a smile after a careful appraisal.
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