Upon closer inspection, one could see that these bells were emitting a dense aura of wood spirit energy—they were actually clusters of golden-yellow, bell-shaped flowers.
So lifelike, they truly resembled bells forged from pure gold.
“To have so many Wood Bell Flowers, and all over a thousand years old!” The giant ape let out a low, buzzing voice, filled with astonishment, upon seeing these spiritual flowers.
“You’ve seen the Wood Bell Flowers. What about the Golden Marrow Crystal Insects and the Golden Mother Coral Sand?” Han Li chuckled softly as he asked.
“These alone may not be enough. There are barely a hundred flowers here, and according to our agreement, they can only be exchanged for ten pairs of insects,” the small beast said, its eyes flickering with delight but its tone remaining calm.
Han Li smiled faintly, tossing the jade box in his hand into the air, where it hovered. With a flip of his other hand, another long jade box appeared.
When the lid was opened, it too was filled to the brim with Wood Bell Flowers.
This sight left the demonic creatures utterly dumbfounded.
“Will this suffice? Bring out all the crystal insects and coral sand you have,” Han Li said leisurely, his gaze fixed on the creatures before him.
After recovering from their shock, the beasts exchanged a few hushed words. Eventually, the small beast retrieved a fist-sized crystal-like mineral from its body, while the others each produced palm-sized black gourds.
In an instant, fifteen crystals and three black gourds appeared in the hall.
Han Li’s eyes gleamed. Without a word, he reached out with one hand, and a crystal leaped from the ground into his grasp.
He lowered his head to examine it closely.
Inside the translucent crystal, a pair of milky-white insects, each about two inches long, lay motionless as if fossilized.
His powerful spiritual sense instantly transformed into countless fine threads, piercing the crystal and acting upon one of the insects.
Immediately, the insect’s body glowed with a milky-white light. With a slight movement, it spat out a golden droplet from its mouth, which seeped into the crystal.
The entire crystal then erupted in a dazzling golden radiance.
Seeing this, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. He tightened his grip, exerting immense force upon the crystal.
Yet the crystal merely flickered with golden light a few times before remaining completely unharmed.
“These truly are Golden Marrow Crystal Insects!” Han Li murmured.
“Senior need not worry. Even if we had the courage of a bear or leopard, we would never dare deceive you,” the bull-headed beast said with a bitter smile.
“Is that so?” Han Li replied noncommittally, setting the crystal aside. With a movement of his other arm, he grabbed one of the black gourds.
Tilting it, a stream of purple-golden sand poured out, quickly forming a pile three feet high on the ground.
With a casual sweep of his hand, he scooped up a small handful of the sand and brought it close for inspection.
After scrutinizing it for a long while, he poured out large quantities of sand from the other two gourds as well.
“Excellent. This Golden Mother Coral Sand is indeed of the highest quality. Combined with the fifteen pairs of crystal insects, it may still fall slightly short of the value of these two boxes of Wood Bell Flowers, but it’s close enough. Let’s proceed with the exchange,” Han Li remarked casually after surveying the items on the ground.
Upon hearing this, the four demonic creatures beamed with joy and nodded eagerly in agreement.
Han Li tossed the two jade boxes toward them. The small beast and the golden-furred giant ape each caught one and carefully stored them away.
At the same time, Han Li swept his sleeve across the ground, and with a flash of azure light, the crystals and gourds vanished without a trace.
“This exchange has been most satisfactory. If you ever have more Golden Mother Coral Sand or other rare items in the future, you may come to me for further trades. I have more than just Wood Bell Flowers—I won’t let you suffer losses. You may leave now,” Han Li said dismissively, showing no intention of keeping them longer.
Under the oppressive weight of Han Li’s formidable aura, the small beast and its companions dared not protest. They bowed respectfully and retreated from his cave, swiftly departing on demonic winds.
Only after flying over a thousand miles did they finally relax, stopping mid-air to regroup.
“Wonderful! I never expected to obtain so many Wood Bell Flowers at once, and all over a thousand years old. If we hand these over, we might even be exempt from other tributes, and the Skywing Clan won’t punish us,” the massive boar grunted excitedly.
“Hmm, I too didn’t expect him to possess so many spiritual flowers. If I recall correctly, the number of Wood Bell Flowers growing on that great mountain wasn’t this abundant. Could there have been hidden areas we missed during our previous explorations? Judging by his words, he seems to have plenty more,” the giant ape mused, frowning deeply.
“Most likely. Unless he already had this many Wood Bell Flowers to begin with—though that seems impossible. Given how highly the Skywing Clan values these flowers, they must be exceedingly rare. They’re probably unique to our Black Veil Mountain,” the three-headed serpent interjected, its eyes glinting.
“Enough. No matter how rare these flowers are, they have nothing to do with us. If we can endure these next hundred years, we’ll be free of our slave marks and can leave for good. But we must do our utmost to supply the high-grade spirit stones that lord demands. Otherwise, all these years of waiting will have been for nothing,” the small beast said after a long pause.
“With these Wood Bell Flowers, surviving another century won’t be an issue. The real problem is that we’re running low on spirit stones. Low-grade stones are useless even to us, and mid-grade ones no longer serve that lord’s needs. As for high-grade stones, the mines have long been exhausted. And now, he’s demanding four top-grade stones of different attributes. Such supreme-grade spirit stones have never been found in Black Veil Mountain, nor do our neighboring cultivators possess more than water-attribute stones. Even if we wanted to trade, we’d have nothing to offer,” the golden-furred ape rumbled.
“But according to that lord, these top-grade stones are essential for breaking through his bottleneck. Without them, his powers won’t reach their full potential,” the boar muttered.
The four demons fell into a heavy silence.
“Before, it might have been impossible, but that man we just met possesses extraordinary abilities and comes from elsewhere. He might have other attribute stones,” the serpent’s middle head suggested slowly.
“We’ve all thought of that. But given our cultivation levels, why would we need top-grade stones? Asking for them would immediately arouse suspicion. Let’s explore other options first and only approach him as a last resort,” the small beast cautioned.
“That makes sense. Let’s deal with the Skywing Clan’s envoy first, then discuss this further,” the giant ape proposed.
The others, having no better ideas, nodded in agreement.
With that, the four demons transformed into swirling demonic mists and flew off in different directions.
Meanwhile, Han Li was already in his secret chamber, idly turning a crystal-encased insect in his hand, his eyes flickering with contemplation.
The Golden Marrow Crystal Insects were legendary among both humans and demons, yet sightings—let alone captures—were exceedingly rare.
Even when discovered, it was usually only two or three pairs at most. The value of each pair was enough to bankrupt a high-level cultivator.
Thus, when Han Li learned that these sixth and seventh-level demonic beasts could provide such insects, his shock and elation were immense.
The insects had multiple uses. Not only could they serve as key ingredients for pills that enhanced cultivation, but they were also remarkably effective in body refinement.
Applying the golden marrow they secreted to one’s body and absorbing it could instantly elevate a cultivator’s physical strength by an entire tier. However, given Han Li’s already formidable physique, the effect would likely be diminished.
Compared to these two uses, Han Li was more interested in a third, far more obscure application.
That was using these insects to forge his Vajra Demon King Dharma Form into a true physical entity.
The power of this technique, combined with the Vajra Demon King Art, could rival the force to topple mountains and part seas—a unique form of external incarnation.
Of course, similar to the Buddhist practice of forging Vajra Dharma Bodies, this was no simple secret art. Many knew of it, but aside from the Golden Marrow Crystal Insects, it required several other legendary spiritual materials. These were just as rare as the insects themselves. Gathering them all would depend on sheer luck and was not something to expect anytime soon.
Han Li stared at the crystal in his hand, lost in thought for a long while.
Suddenly, his wrist flicked, and four more crystals appeared before him.
Ten pairs of insects should suffice for forging the Vajra Demon King Dharma Form. The remaining five pairs, he would unhesitatingly use to further strengthen his body and attempt another breakthrough to the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
Even if everything went smoothly, this process would likely take five or six years.
With this in mind, Han Li wasted no time. He picked up one of the crystals, his hand glowing with pure azure spiritual light as he closed his eyes.
The two insects inside the crystal, previously motionless, suddenly writhed under the stimulation of his spiritual energy. Each spat out a golden droplet.
The droplets passed through the crystal as if it were air, landing directly on Han Li’s palm, where they were enveloped by the azure light.
In the next moment, the golden liquid within the light erupted with a brilliant radiance.
The golden and azure lights intertwined, spreading down his arm until his entire limb was bathed in gold.
When the glow faded, his arm had taken on a lustrous golden hue.
Han Li cradled his golden arm, murmuring an incantation.
The golden light pulsed intermittently, while a milky-white luminescence shimmered across the surface, flowing like liquid.
His breathing steady, his expression serene, Han Li’s spiritual energy entered a profound and harmonious cycle.
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