Chapter 1431: Dread

The shopkeeper, who had initially worn a faint sneer, suddenly paled drastically.

Given his cultivation level, he naturally sensed the immense power contained within Han Li’s Dharma Form and the sharpness of the treasures revealed. Moreover, the transformed fiendish form of the Soul Devourer Beast was so monstrously huge and ferocious that it was clearly no ordinary entity.

“Who are you? I should know all the outstanding disciples of the Skywing Tribe, yet I’ve never heard of someone like you,” the gaunt man growled after a moment of silence.

“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is my proposal—how does Senior find it? Your cultivation has fallen from the late Void Refinement stage to the early stage. Even if you still have some hidden trump cards, I have at least a fifty percent chance of defeating you. However, I have no desire to engage in a fight to the death. Hand over what I want, and I’ll leave immediately,” Han Li said calmly, staring at the shopkeeper.

The gaunt man’s eyes flickered over Han Li several times before he hesitated briefly and then let out a bitter chuckle.

“Good, very good. With the strength you’ve displayed, you do have the right to say such things. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to agree, I don’t have any Green Luo Fruits to give you. The treasure you saw in the box earlier was merely an illusion created using a secret technique unique to the Five-Colored Race. You must have had some suspicions, right?” The shopkeeper licked his lips and probed cautiously.

“Heh, an illusionary technique! The cultivation method I practice does allow me to see through certain illusions. But what I want is precisely the item inside that box. No matter how powerful your illusion technique is, without using that object as a medium, how could you have made the Green Luo Fruit appear so lifelike?” Han Li replied with deep meaning.

“You want *that* thing?” The shopkeeper looked surprised.

“Indeed. This condition isn’t excessive, is it?” Han Li chuckled lightly.

“If it’s just that, then of course I can give it to you.” This time, the shopkeeper didn’t hesitate at all. With a flip of his hand, a wooden box appeared in his palm, which he then tossed over.

A faint blue glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes as he reached out with one hand.

A streak of azure light swept out, enveloping the box and suspending it in midair before him.

Han Li scanned it with his spiritual sense, revealing a trace of delight, before opening the lid.

A medicinal fragrance wafted out, and inside the box lay the “Green Luo Fruit” they had seen earlier.

Without hesitation, Han Li spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which vanished into the box in a flash.

Instantly, a five-colored radiance shimmered inside the box, and the emerald-green fruit distorted and shrank like a bubble, transforming into a thumb-sized crimson seed in the blink of an eye.

What lay inside the box wasn’t the Green Luo Fruit itself, but merely its seed.

“It’s true that I obtained a Green Luo Fruit many years ago during an expedition into the Earth Abyss. But I recently used it to refine medicine for nurturing the Thunder Beast. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have hesitated to hand it over to you, Brother Han. Although the seed is still valuable, it’s far inferior to the fruit itself. To make up for it, I’ll compensate you with a few top-grade spirit stones. How does that sound?” The man relaxed slightly upon seeing Han Li’s pleased expression and spoke with a smile.

With a flick of his sleeve, a green leather pouch flew toward Han Li.

Han Li’s brows twitched, but he didn’t reach out recklessly. Instead, a swirl of gray light from behind him swept the pouch into his Magnetic Divine Light.

The pouch spun in the gray radiance, unable to fall.

“Since Senior has offered, I won’t stand on ceremony.” Han Li smiled faintly after sensing the contents with his spiritual sense.

With a *whoosh*, the pouch vanished into thin air. Han Li then calmly stored the seed away.

Seeing Han Li’s bizarre technique, the shopkeeper’s expression flickered briefly before he forced a smile and asked, “Brother Han’s abilities are truly extraordinary. May I ask what your next move is?”

“Now that I’ve obtained what I wanted, I naturally won’t interfere further. However, if possible, I’d like to take these two with me. After all, they came here with me, and if they disappear as well, I’ll have a hard time explaining it to the other Skywing tribesmen. Besides, once this matter is settled, I assume Senior won’t be staying in the Holy City much longer?” Han Li replied leisurely.

“Handing them over to you isn’t impossible. But these two have rather bad tempers. Having failed to obtain what they wanted and suffered such a loss, they won’t be easy to placate. It might be better to simply eliminate them and be done with it,” the shopkeeper chuckled darkly, unsurprised by Han Li’s words.

“Though I’d prefer that, I still have matters to attend to and must remain with the Skywing Tribe for a while. As for how to placate them, I’ll figure something out,” Han Li said dismissively.

“If that’s the case, then they’re yours.” The shopkeeper didn’t press further and simply agreed.

Almost simultaneously, the Thunder Beast flashed with four-colored lightning and vanished from behind Han Li, reappearing behind the shopkeeper in a burst of thunder.

“It seems Senior never intended to tame this beast but planned to use it as an external incarnation,” Han Li remarked, his eyes glinting as he observed the Thunder Beast.

“Brother Han is quite perceptive,” the shopkeeper laughed evasively, his words deliberately vague.

Just as Han Li was about to press further, a buzzing sound erupted in the air. The dark clouds summoned earlier by the shopkeeper were now being torn apart by a fierce wind, revealing a sky suffused with a strange yellowish glow and emitting eerie low hums.

In some places, space itself even began to distort slightly.

Han Li’s pupils contracted sharply.

“The spiritual energy of this Void Cave has been exhausted. It will soon collapse. We should leave quickly,” the gaunt man said with a frown, glancing around.

“Very well. Please open a path for us, Senior Yu,” Han Li agreed readily.

“Of course!” The shopkeeper’s gaze swept over the five-colored phoenix Dharma Form behind Han Li, his tone insincere.

He then began chanting and reached into the void.

A five-colored radiance shimmered, and the previously vanished scroll reappeared within the light.

Unfurling the scroll, a beam of light shot from its surface, forming a ten-foot-tall glowing portal before them. Inside, a hazy white passage led outside the cave.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. With a flick of his shoulders, two streams of gray light shot out from behind him, wrapping around the unconscious burly man and the slender youth and lifting them effortlessly. Meanwhile, the Soul Devourer shrank rapidly, transforming into a human-sized black ape before following Han Li.

“Let’s go, Brother Han.” The shopkeeper’s eyes flashed with a trace of malice as Han Li took the two men, but he ultimately restrained himself and merely urged them forward.

The two stepped through the portal one after another.

Han Li’s vision brightened as they emerged back in the gaunt man’s residence, where everything was eerily calm, as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Behind them, the Void Cave painting still hung on the wall.

Only then did Han Li relax slightly.

Though he wasn’t necessarily afraid of this man in a direct confrontation, the shopkeeper was no ordinary Void Refinement cultivator, and his array of bizarre techniques made Han Li reluctant to engage in a life-or-death struggle.

With a soft *puff*, the ancient painting trembled briefly before silently disintegrating into dust and vanishing.

Han Li’s heart skipped a beat, his expression flickering.

The gaunt man, however, looked pained, clearly lamenting the loss of such a treasure.

“Given Brother Han’s demeanor, I doubt you’ll cause trouble. These two are yours to handle. I still have injuries to tend to, so I won’t see you out.” The shopkeeper wasted no time in dismissing Han Li the moment they returned.

Han Li had no intention of lingering either. With a slight bow, he flicked his sleeve, recalling the Soul Devourer, and strode out the door.

Behind him, the two men floated within gray light, appearing as if they were following him of their own volition.

The moment Han Li disappeared from sight, the old man’s smile vanished.

Two subordinates waiting outside entered and stood respectfully nearby.

“Grandmaster, are we really letting them go? Could this cause problems?” one asked cautiously.

“Hmph, what problems? Even if he brings people back, we’ll be long gone by then. Pack everything and activate the underground teleportation array. We’re leaving the Holy City immediately. The Skywing Tribe is no longer safe—we’ll head to the Five-Colored Race. I’ve already prepared another identity there. No one will find us,” the shopkeeper commanded coldly.

“Yes, Grandmaster!” The two Skywing tribesmen obeyed without hesitation and swiftly moved to gather their belongings.

The gaunt man remained standing, his gaze fixed on the door, a sinister glint flashing across his face.

“If not for the greater plan and avoiding unnecessary risks, I would never have let you leave alive,” he muttered under his breath.

Pulling out a medicine bottle, he swallowed two green pills before wiping his face with one hand. A blinding white light erupted, and when it faded, a refined, scholarly middle-aged man stood in his place—completely different in appearance and demeanor.

He strode toward a corner of the hall, pressed a hand against the wall, and revealed a hidden passage leading downward. Without hesitation, he descended.

—

Meanwhile, Han Li led the two unconscious men to a secluded spot behind a nearby building. Scanning the area, he confirmed they were alone.

Withdrawing the Magnetic Divine Light, he let the two drop to the ground, still unconscious.

Examining them, Han Li sighed helplessly.

“You’re lucky. If not for the risk of implicating myself, I wouldn’t bother with you.”

As he spoke, dozens of silver needles materialized in his hand.

With a series of soft *whooshes*, the needles shot into the two men’s bodies in a flash.