“No need to panic. Tell me in detail what happened,” Han Li said, opening his eyes with a trace of surprise flashing across his face.
Even though the Myriad Treasures Convention was a gathering of both humans and demons, it was extremely rare for anything to happen under the watchful eyes of so many.
“Master, Junior Brother Qilingzi and I had already found the demon elder you were looking for. But on our way back, as we passed through a secluded corner, we suddenly encountered a woman. She merely glanced at Junior Brother Qilingzi a couple of times before summoning a strange gust of wind that whisked him away into thin air,” Hai Dashao said, calming down as he saw Han Li’s composed demeanor and quickly spoke with respect.
“What did this woman look like? Any distinctive features?” Han Li’s expression turned serious, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
“She was tall and thin, an old woman with unusually long hair. Oh, she also had a large green mole on her forehead and exuded a gloomy, terrifying aura. Before leaving, she struck me with a palm strike, knocking me unconscious. I was later rescued by another group of passing cultivators and only then could I come to seek your help, Master,” Hai Dashao said, his voice filled with resentment.
“She struck you? Come closer, let me take a look,” Han Li said, his mind stirring as he beckoned Hai Dashao forward.
“As you command!” Hai Dashao was startled but immediately stepped forward without hesitation.
“So that’s it! How vicious!” Han Li’s face darkened with anger after carefully scanning Hai Dashao’s body with his spiritual sense.
He then raised his arm, grabbing Hai Dashao’s wrist. A surge of azure light emanated from his fingertips, flooding into Hai Dashao’s body.
Moments later, a thin black thread, wrapped in azure light, was forcibly extracted from Hai Dashao’s body.
The moment the black thread left Hai Dashao’s body, it began writhing violently within the azure light—it was some kind of unknown demonic insect.
Hai Dashao’s face turned ashen with shock and fury.
“What is this? Did that woman do this to me?”
“Who else could it be? This is the Heart-Thread Parasite, a relatively rare demonic insect. When first hatched, it’s as thick as a chopstick, but after being refined by a cultivator skilled in insect manipulation, it gradually thins until it becomes invisible to the naked eye—only then is it fully refined. Once inside a host, it pierces the heart at midnight, killing them instantly. And afterward, it’s nearly impossible to determine the cause of death. Though this one isn’t fully refined, it must have taken its owner centuries of effort. To use it on a mid-tier body cultivator like you—she must have been quite desperate!” Han Li snorted coldly, explaining briefly.
“What was that woman thinking? If she wanted to silence me, why not just kill me outright? Why go through all this trouble?” Hai Dashao swallowed hard, staring at the black thread in the azure light, but couldn’t help asking.
“Did you say anything when she attacked you?” Han Li asked abruptly after a moment of silence.
“Say anything… Oh, I think I shouted, ‘We’re staying at the Immortal Welcoming Palace!’ Could that be why she didn’t dare kill me directly?” Hai Dashao blinked, looking puzzled.
“Most likely. But she couldn’t be sure if you were telling the truth, so she used this Heart-Thread Parasite to test the waters. If it wasn’t discovered and removed by midnight, you’d die instantly. If you truly had ties to a Body Integration cultivator, it would be hard to hide. Once expelled, she’d sense it and take precautions. As for why she didn’t kill you outright—she must fear the law enforcers of the Myriad Treasures Convention. They aren’t just for show. They might ignore private disputes, but they wouldn’t stand by if someone openly murdered another in public,” Han Li said indifferently, watching the black thread in the azure light.
Hai Dashao finally understood.
Just then, the black thread in the azure light trembled violently. Its surface shimmered with dark light before it suddenly broke free and shot away.
Han Li’s lips curled slightly as he made a grasping motion in the air. An invisible force enveloped the fleeing thread.
With a *whoosh*, the black thread was yanked back like an arrow shot in reverse.
Han Li then rubbed his hands together expressionlessly, and a silver flame erupted between them.
The Heart-Thread Parasite was instantly reduced to ashes.
No matter how refined the demonic insect was, it couldn’t withstand such flames.
At the same moment, deep within a small mountain outside the Nine Immortals Mountain—
An old woman with gray-white hair and long, black nails suddenly jolted awake from meditation. Her face paled as she spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, clearly suffering significant damage to her vitality.
“Madam, are you alright?”
Beside her sat a thick-browed old man, his face filled with panic.
“Stop panicking! It’s just that my Heart-Thread Parasite was destroyed. I’ll be fine after two days of meditation,” the old woman said coldly through gritted teeth.
“That’s good…” The old man knew full well that the Heart-Thread Parasite, nurtured for centuries, couldn’t be destroyed without consequences. But under the old woman’s glare, he dared not say more, shrinking like a mouse before a cat.
“It seems that boy wasn’t lying. They really do have ties to some old monster in the Immortal Welcoming Palace,” the old woman muttered to herself, her expression shifting unpredictably.
“Should we let the boy go? After all, provoking a Body Integration cultivator would bring us great trouble,” the black-browed old man murmured.
“Let him go? At our age, we only have ‘Ming’er’ as our sole heir. If we use that secret technique to transfer the inheritance artifact into Ming’er’s body, not only will his chronic illness be cured, but he’ll also gain an entire set of inherited secret techniques. I’ve already examined the inheritance orb inside that boy—its seal is extraordinarily profound, meaning the inherited technique must be extraordinary. Once Ming’er obtains it, his future cultivation path will far surpass ours. If we miss this chance, where else will we find another cultivator of the same rank with an inheritance artifact?” The old woman’s face twisted with malice.
“But the Body Integration old monster backing him—we two Void Refinement cultivators are no match,” the old man said, still uneasy.
“Hmph! That boy is only a Foundation Establishment cultivator with an ordinary spiritual root. Even if he has some connection to that Body Integration old monster, it can’t be too deep. If we find a powerful backer of our own, that old monster wouldn’t go to war over a mere Foundation Establishment brat. At worst, we’ll compensate him handsomely,” the old woman said coldly, having clearly thought this through.
“You mean… we should seek help from…” The old man’s eyes widened in realization.
“Exactly! Don’t forget—I’m also a Long. The Long Family Patriarch is my birth father. We’ll leave now and stay at the Long Family’s residence in the Immortal Welcoming Palace for a while,” the woman declared.
“But according to Long Family rules, once a woman marries out, she’s no longer considered part of the family. Otherwise, your father wouldn’t have ignored us all these years. Madam, perhaps we should drop this matter,” the old man said more rationally, forcing a bitter smile.
“True. Long women can’t awaken the True Dragon Bloodline, so we’re not valued. But don’t forget—Ming’er carries Long blood. Last time, we confirmed he has traces of the True Dragon Bloodline. Though faint, if we inform my elder brother, he won’t stand idly by,” the woman said through clenched teeth.
“Madam, didn’t we agree not to tell the Long Family about Ming’er’s True Dragon Bloodline? Have you changed your mind?” The old man’s expression darkened.
“I know you want Ming’er to carry on the Li Family lineage and not return to the Longs. But circumstances have changed! Without this, Ming’er only has a few hundred years left. Can you bear that?” The woman fell silent for a long moment before speaking coldly.
“I…” The old man’s lips moved, but no words came out.
“Fine, this isn’t irreparable. For now, don’t mention the boy to my brother. If that Body Integration old monster doesn’t come after us, it means the boy is insignificant. After the Myriad Treasures Convention ends, we’ll quietly leave the Long Family. Maybe Ming’er won’t even have to leave our side,” the woman said, softening slightly at the old man’s dejected expression.
“Madam, don’t lie to me. Once Ming’er awakens the True Dragon Bloodline, how could your brother not notice?” The old man shook his head.
The woman’s face twitched, momentarily speechless.
“Alright, we’ll do as you say. For Ming’er’s future, returning to the Long Family is for the best. With the True Dragon Bloodline, he’ll fare far better there than with us,” the old man said after a long pause, gritting his teeth.
“You’re making the right choice. From what I know, few in this generation of the Long Family have awakened the True Dragon Bloodline. Ming’er will be highly valued,” the woman said, overjoyed.
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