“Golden Seal Script!” Han Li’s pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression shifted slightly.
“Indeed. Originally, there were several other fellow Daoists with us, but they have all perished. That piece of Golden Seal Script was also discovered by us and the Rong Clan members in a hidden cave,” the old man said with a fluctuating expression before finally sighing deeply.
Han Li stared at the old man without asking anything, knowing the other party would surely elaborate.
Sure enough, after a brief pause, the old man continued, “But before we could break the restrictions and imprint the entire spiritual text, we fell into a trap set by the Rong Clan. The other fellow Daoists perished on the spot, and only I and Fairy Yue managed to escape by using secret techniques. However, our vitality was severely damaged, and we can no longer take any risks. If Brother Han is interested in this technique, you might as well give it a try. By the way, that hidden cave is extremely secluded. Apart from this Golden Seal Script technique, there might be other treasures hidden there.”
“Oh, such a thing exists! Where is this hidden cave you mentioned? After such a long time, wouldn’t those Rong Clan members have already succeeded and left?” Han Li pondered for a moment before asking.
“Brother Han, rest assured. The restrictions in that cave are extremely formidable, and the Golden Seal Script is divided into several parts. Even after such a long delay, it’s unlikely those Rong Clan members have broken all the restrictions and obtained the complete technique. If we hurry there now, there’s still a good chance we can make it in time,” Fairy Yue added, her eyes flickering.
“How many Rong Clan members are still there?” Han Li, feeling somewhat tempted, asked.
“There should be about a dozen left. These Rong Clan members are exceptionally cunning. When we first encountered them at the cave, they only showed half their numbers and invited us to explore the cave together. But when we saw the Golden Seal Script, they suddenly turned hostile and revealed the other half. Outnumbered, we ended up in this state. Even if you possess extraordinary abilities, Brother Han, you cannot confront so many head-on. You’ll have to sneak into the cave and act according to circumstances,” the old man replied without hesitation, as if he had already considered this matter.
“A dozen? That many would indeed make a direct confrontation unwise. But I have another question: did you two know about the existence of this Golden Seal Script beforehand and what kind of technique or secret art it records? As far as I know, very few in the entire Tianyun can recognize this kind of spiritual script,” Han Li asked with a faint smile after some thought.
“This…”
“Brother Han is astute. It seems we can’t hide anything from you. We did indeed know about the hidden cave and this Golden Seal Script from our clan elders beforehand, and both I and Fellow Daoist Xu can read Golden Seal Script. The spiritual text records a secret art called the ‘Spirit Refinement Technique’!” The old man hesitated slightly, but the woman calmly admitted it outright.
“Spirit Refinement Technique?” Han Li blinked, somewhat surprised.
“According to one of our clan elders, this technique is extraordinarily profound and can multiply one’s spiritual sense severalfold. If successfully cultivated, it would be immensely beneficial for breaking through the Void Refinement stage and even future bottlenecks,” the old man replied without further concealment.
“Multiply spiritual sense severalfold? Impossible! How could such a heaven-defying technique exist in this world?” Han Li’s expression changed, and he exclaimed involuntarily.
“Fellow Daoist Xu speaks the truth. Our ancestors from both clans learned of the hidden cave and this Golden Seal Script during previous openings of the Cold Moon Realm, which is why we know a thing or two about the Spirit Refinement Technique’s effects. However, because the records were too vague, our clans spent enormous effort over the years to locate the cave. But the restrictions at the cave’s entrance were so profound that only those with knowledge of Golden Seal Script could break them. Thus, over the years, our clans have been searching the entire Thunder Continent for information on Golden Seal Script. It was only just before this opening of the Cold Moon Realm that Fellow Daoist Xu and I managed to grasp most of the script, giving us the confidence to enter the cave. Looking back now, the Rong Clan’s appearance was too coincidental—they showed up right after we broke the entrance restrictions. Most likely, our actions had long been under their surveillance, and they must have known about the cave’s location through other means,” the woman explained in detail.
“If this Spirit Refinement Technique is truly as miraculous as you say, I wouldn’t mind making a trip. However, I know nothing about Golden Seal Script. Even if I obtain the technique, it would be useless to me,” Han Li said after his expression fluctuated for a while.
“Haha, that’s easily resolved. As long as Brother Han retrieves the technique and is willing to provide copies for both Fairy Yue and me, we are willing to teach you everything we know about Golden Seal Script, allowing you to comprehend the technique smoothly. This would serve as compensation for your risk,” the old man replied eagerly, seeing Han Li’s genuine interest.
Fairy Yue remained silent, evidently acquiescing to the arrangement.
“Since you’ve put it that way, I suppose I have no choice but to make this trip. Brother Xu, please copy a map for me,” Han Li finally said calmly, having made up his mind.
“Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist. I’ll copy the map right away,” the old man surnamed Xu said joyfully, readily agreeing.
With a flip of his hand, a jade slip appeared in his palm. He placed it against his forehead, and faint white light flickered. In just a moment, the jade slip had copied the map stored in his spiritual sense.
“Brother Han, be careful. Fairy Yue and I will await your good news!” the old man said with a smile as he handed over the jade slip.
“You two should rest on the nearby island for a while. If I do obtain this Golden Seal Script, I will return to meet you,” Han Li replied solemnly as he took the jade slip.
With a flash of cyan light, he transformed into a cyan streak and shot into the sky. After a few flickers, the streak vanished into the horizon.
“Brother Xu, what do you think are the chances of Fellow Daoist Han succeeding?” the woman asked, retracting her gaze after the streak disappeared completely.
“It’s hard to say. For an ordinary upper clan member, there would be almost no chance. But this person’s abilities are unfathomable—comparable to an early-stage Saint Clan member. With some luck, he might have a fifty percent chance. Don’t forget, among those Rong Clan members, there was one particularly formidable individual who injured both of us when we joined forces,” the old man surnamed Xu replied after a long pause.
“Fifty percent? That’s already good. Our clans have planned this for so long, only for things to go awry at the execution. If we fail to bring back the Spirit Refinement Technique, our fates will be unthinkable,” the woman sighed softly.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. Who would have thought a group of Rong Clan members would suddenly appear and ruin our plans?” the old man replied helplessly.
“If we had known these Rong Clan members were plotting against us from the start, we would never have joined forces with them. We ended up helping them break many restrictions in the cave for nothing,” Fairy Yue said, her expression turning icy.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. The cave entrance was already open. Even if we hadn’t agreed, they would have called the other half of their group to attack us sooner or later. Besides, fighting outside the cave without any advantageous terrain or restrictions would have made it even harder for us to escape their encirclement,” the old man shook his head.
“That’s true. Let’s just hope Fellow Daoist Han succeeds,” Fairy Yue said, glancing once more toward the horizon where Han Li had disappeared.
Meanwhile, the old man surnamed Xu stroked his beard, lost in thought.
On the other side, Han Li’s streak of light was already tens of thousands of miles away, traveling at an astonishing speed. Inside the streak, Han Li half-closed his eyes as he pressed the jade slip to his forehead, scanning its contents with his spiritual sense.
Old Man Xu had copied quite a bit—not only the map of the hidden cave but also the paths they had explored inside, saving Han Li a lot of trouble.
“Spirit Refinement Technique,” Han Li murmured almost inaudibly.
The benefits of a powerful spiritual sense were something he had fully experienced after cultivating the Great Development Art in the past.
If this technique could truly multiply his spiritual sense, not only would breaking through bottlenecks become much easier, but he could also control far more Gold Devouring Beetles in battle, making them a regular part of his arsenal.
Moreover, a stronger spiritual sense would be immensely beneficial in array formation, pill refining, and other areas. Thus, upon hearing of its miraculous effects, he had immediately resolved to obtain it.
Such a heaven-defying technique could only exist in the True Immortal World. Outside of it, the Spirit Realm would never have such a thing. Faced with such an incredible opportunity, he naturally wouldn’t let it slip away.
As Han Li pondered this, even his usually calm heart stirred with excitement.
According to the map, the hidden cave was about a day’s journey away. For Old Man Xu and Fairy Yue to have escaped here despite their severe injuries was no small feat.
As for the Rong Clan members guarding the cave, Han Li wasn’t overly concerned. With his full strength restored, even if he couldn’t defeat them all, escaping would be no issue without any Void Refinement stage experts among them.
Having made up his mind, Han Li stopped overthinking. With a thunderous roar from his back, his Wind Thunder Wings materialized. A single hand seal later, the streak of light vanished with a whoosh, reappearing hundreds of feet away before disappearing again.
From afar, a cyan-white thread of light flickered in and out of the void, darting forward like a ghost.
Fearing the Rong Clan members might break the restrictions and take the Golden Seal Script before he arrived, Han Li finally unleashed his full speed, sparing no expense in magic power.
What should have taken a day’s journey was now estimated to take only half a day to reach the hidden cave.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage