“Do you have a way to capture the Golden Marrow Crystal Worms alive?” Han Li’s expression remained unchanged on the surface, but inwardly, he was ecstatic.
“Indeed. Our Haoshou clan, once we’ve mastered our innate abilities, can naturally identify these crystal worms among countless ores and prevent them from reverting to stone,” the small beast said proudly.
“Good, very good! For this alone, I can overlook your earlier provocations. I’ll even give you the Woodbell Flowers!” Han Li suddenly smiled, his demeanor softening.
“Such generosity! What’s the catch?” The small beast, though delighted at first, quickly grew wary.
“It’s simple. You can have as many Woodbell Flowers as you want. But in exchange, for every ten flowers, I’ll take a pair of Golden Marrow Crystal Worms. Additionally, I’m very interested in the Golden Mother Coral Sand from your offerings. One tael of this sand can also be exchanged for one Woodbell Flower,” Han Li said with a light chuckle.
“The crystal worms are offerings, and we don’t have many to spare. Ten pairs have already been promised to Venerable Baoguang,” the ox-headed beast said, its eyes darting craftily.
“Venerable Baoguang? Just a newly transformed sea beast! If I want these worms, I’ll deal with it myself. I’ll give you seven days to prepare. Return to my cave in three days to exchange for the Woodbell Flowers. If you don’t show up… heh…” Han Li gave a cold laugh, flicked his sleeve, and a sudden gust of wind swept by as he vanished into thin air.
The ox-headed beast and the three-headed serpent were startled to find the red threads that had bound them had also disappeared.
Now free, the two beasts exchanged uneasy glances.
After a long silence, the middle head of the three-headed serpent blinked its green eyes and whispered, “Is he really gone?”
The ox-headed beast hesitated, then spat out a green pearl. The pearl spun in the air, releasing a cyan barrier that enveloped them both.
“Now we can speak freely. With my inner core’s soundproof barrier, if he tries to eavesdrop with his divine sense, I’ll detect it,” the beast said confidently.
The serpent relaxed slightly but asked, “Are we really going to trade for the Woodbell Flowers?”
“The offerings aren’t just our responsibility. We’ll need to discuss this with the others. But if we want to survive this tribute cycle, we have no choice,” the ox-headed beast said bitterly.
“The Golden Marrow Crystal Worms and Golden Mother Coral Sand are extremely rare. If we trade them away, we might not gather enough next time,” the serpent warned.
“We can’t worry about that now. Though the worms and sand are hard to find, with time, we can replenish them. But the Woodbell Flowers are in massive demand by the Tianpeng clan, and they’ve been exhausted elsewhere. Only this man’s mountain has enough for the tribute,” the ox-headed beast said helplessly.
“Then why not let the Tianpeng clan deal with him when they come to collect the tribute?” the serpent suggested.
“Don’t be naive! Remember the last time? Even if the Tianpeng clan kills him, they’ll take all the Woodbell Flowers, and our tribute won’t be reduced. If we tell them the truth—that the flowers are nearly gone—they’ll exterminate us! As long as the Woodbell Flowers are sufficient, they’ll overlook other shortages. But if the flowers are lacking, no amount of other offerings will save us. The Tianpeng clan values these flowers immensely. If not for their fear of the Black Mist, they’d have stationed guards here long ago,” the ox-headed beast said coldly.
“But even if we survive this time, what about the next tribute? We’re marked by the Tianpeng clan’s slave seal. If we flee beyond ten thousand miles, we’ll explode!” the serpent said anxiously.
“I know. But don’t forget the promise from that lord in the Black Mist. If we secretly supply him with spirit stones for another century, he’ll break our slave seals. Then we can escape freely,” the ox-headed beast said solemnly.
“But can we trust him? He’s half-ghost, half-demon now after devouring an ancient ghost’s core. What if he betrays us?” the serpent hesitated.
“Don’t worry. He’s of our Haoshou lineage and shares our hatred for the Tianpeng clan. We’ve been supplying him for centuries. With success so close, do we have any other choice?” the beast shook its head.
“Perhaps I’m overthinking. But what exactly is in the Black Mist that even the Tianpeng clan fears it?” the serpent asked curiously.
“Even that lord dares not venture deep into it. The mist has existed since the Tianpeng clan’s golden age, when they ruled the Feiling race,” the beast sighed.
“True. Whatever’s in the mist, it’s deadly to us. We’d be reduced to bones in moments,” the serpent nodded.
After further discussion, the beasts retracted their inner cores and vanished in two gusts of demonic wind.
Moments later, space rippled, and Han Li reappeared, watching their departure with a sly smile. He reached out, and a tiny golden insect—a shrunken Gold Devouring Beetle—landed on his palm.
Closing his eyes, Han Li retrieved the divine sense attached to the beetle, replaying the beasts’ conversation in his mind.
“Black Mist, half-ghost half-demon, slave seals? Fascinating. If the Tianpeng clan can’t linger here, I needn’t fear them unless a Body Integration cultivator appears. Who’d have thought these low-level beasts could catch Golden Marrow Crystal Worms—a treasure even the elders of Tianyuan City can’t find! With these, plus a few other ingredients and my Vajra relics, I can solidify my Vajra Dharma Body like the Buddhist monks. And the Golden Mother Coral Sand will further temper my flesh…” Han Li chuckled gleefully.
His laughter faded as he recalled something. With a thought, crystalline wings sprouted from his back—manifestations of the Roc and Five-Colored Phoenix.
A single flap sent him streaking across the sky as a dazzling azure streak, vanishing into the horizon.
With his Wind and Thunder Wings now a spirit treasure, his speed was several times faster than normal. In just over two days, he left the island and arrived at a coral-filled sea tens of thousands of miles away.
Hovering above a coral cluster, Han Li’s eyes gleamed.
This was the lair of Venerable Baoguang, an eighth-grade sea beast that had settled here two centuries ago after subduing nearby marine creatures.
The ox-headed beast and its allies had sought this demon’s help against Han Li, mistakenly assuming he was merely at the Nascent Soul stage.
Without delay, Han Li raised a pitch-black hand and pressed it downward.
A deafening roar echoed as a miniature mountain materialized, expanding to over a thousand feet and crushing the coral below under its overwhelming gravity.
Under Han Li’s full power, the Magnetic Divine Mountain’s force enveloped the entire area, leaving no escape.
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