“That seems quite fair. Feel free to ask, fellow Daoist,” Han Li replied after a brief moment of contemplation, his tone slightly altered.
Given that this person was clearly trapped within the Demon-Sealing Lock and unable to leave, Han Li naturally agreed without hesitation.
“Good. First, I’d like to know exactly from whom you obtained the Demon-Sealing Lock?” The green-robed elder, overjoyed, immediately asked the question that concerned him the most.
“From several of your esteemed Venerables,” Han Li answered promptly, having anticipated the question.
“Several Venerables? Could they be subordinates of that vile Blood Light? But why would he entrust such an item to others?” The elder’s eyes flickered as he muttered thoughtfully.
“I’ve already answered one question. Might you first reveal your name?” Han Li inquired, disregarding the elder’s confusion.
“I am Che Qigong! Given that you are a human, how did you encounter our Saint Clan’s Venerables? Are you currently within our Saint Realm?” the elder replied tersely before swiftly posing his second question.
“Che Qigong… I’ve truly never heard that name before. Now is the time when your Ancient Demon Realm is infiltrating our Spirit Realm again. It’s hardly surprising that I’ve encountered your esteemed Venerables,” Han Li replied with a faint smile.
“What? The Sacred Sacrifice has begun? I’ve been trapped for so many years! How long has the Sacred Sacrifice been underway? If it’s still in its early stages, Blood Light’s true form cannot yet descend to the human realm. Could that be why the Demon-Sealing Lock was separated from him?” The elder was first shocked, then furrowed his brows in deep thought.
“That seems like the next question,” Han Li remarked, his expression flickering slightly at the mention of the “Sacred Sacrifice” before quickly returning to normal.
“Fine. You may ask your next question,” the green-robed elder said, suppressing his anger as if recalling something.
“My next question is simple: Are you one of the Sacred Ancestors of the Ancient Demon Realm?” Han Li asked gravely.
“If you’ve already guessed, why bother asking? Not only am I a Sacred Ancestor of the Saint Realm, but I am also one of its longest-lived. There are barely three or four in the entire Saint Realm who can match my lifespan,” the elder replied coldly.
“Is that so? Then I must apologize for my earlier disrespect,” Han Li said, momentarily taken aback before chuckling lightly.
Given the elder’s tone and the astonishing powers he had displayed earlier, Han Li wasn’t overly surprised by this revelation.
“What are you laughing at? Do you find it amusing that a Sacred Ancestor like me, despite my long years, is trapped here?” Che Qigong’s expression darkened, a flash of menace in his eyes.
“I would never think such a thing. No matter your abilities, they far surpass mine. I wouldn’t dare mock you,” Han Li replied calmly, his smile vanishing.
Internally, however, he muttered to himself about the elder’s volatile temperament, reminding himself to stay cautious.
“You know I’m a Sacred Ancestor of the Saint Realm, yet you remain so composed. Do you truly believe I wouldn’t devour this wisp of your divine sense?” Che Qigong snarled.
“If you wished to act, you would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?” Han Li replied indifferently.
“You’re quite clever. Were I not trapped here, I would have crushed a mere human cultivator like you without a second thought. Now, answer my earlier question—has the Sacred Sacrifice just begun? Have the other Sacred Ancestors not yet descended in their true forms?” Che Qigong finally calmed down, though his tone remained icy.
“The demonic invasion has indeed just begun. It’s currently impossible for the Sacred Ancestors to descend in their true forms,” Han Li answered truthfully, seeing no reason to conceal this.
“So it is true!” Che Qigong’s face briefly flickered with excitement before he sank into deep contemplation, as if wrestling with some weighty matter.
“Could you tell me something about the purpose of this Demon-Sealing Lock?” Han Li asked, ignoring the elder’s preoccupation.
“The Demon-Sealing Lock is something your human race cannot wield. Asking about it is a waste of effort,” the elder replied mockingly after a brief pause.
“Whether it’s useful to me or not is for me to decide,” Han Li insisted calmly.
“Since you’re so insistent, I’ll tell you. The Demon-Sealing Lock is an embryonic Profound Heavenly Treasure infused with the dual forces of primordial chaos—yin and yang. It not only contains its own spatial realm but also bears thirteen layers of ancient restrictions inscribed by a grandmaster of formations from our Saint Realm. Once someone is trapped within, unless they possess the power to break the primordial chaos themselves, even if all thirteen restrictions are shattered from the outside, it would be futile. The primordial chaos is immensely powerful—if this treasure were fully formed, even a celestial immortal would be helpless within it. Even in its current incomplete state, it is more than sufficient to imprison Great Ascension cultivators or Sacred Ancestors like myself,” the elder explained coldly.
“An incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure!” Despite his usual composure, Han Li’s expression shifted dramatically at this revelation.
Few understood the might of Profound Heavenly Treasures better than he, who possessed one himself. Even an unfinished artifact was enough to stir his heart.
“Unfortunately, the Demon-Sealing Lock was born in our Saint Realm. Only Sacred Ancestors of our Ancient Demon Clan, who can commune with the laws of our realm, can barely wield it. Outsiders who obtain it cannot activate it in the slightest—it remains a lifeless object. Had your divine sense not penetrated its restrictions, and had I not just expended immense effort to reach this layer with my own spirit, intercepting you, your wisp of divine sense would have been annihilated by the primordial chaos upon entering deeper into the lock, yielding nothing,” Che Qigong said dismissively.
“So only those who can commune with the Ancient Demon Realm’s natural laws can use this treasure,” Han Li murmured thoughtfully.
“Don’t entertain such fantasies. Even if you’ve cultivated our Saint Clan’s techniques and can manipulate some true demonic energy, unless you reach the level of a Sacred Ancestor, you cannot hope to commune with our realm’s natural laws. And if you did reach that level, the Spirit Realm would reject you, forcing you to ascend to our Saint Realm and become one of us,” Che Qigong said meaningfully, as if seeing through something.
Han Li’s face twitched slightly before he finally replied, “According to your words, this item truly holds no use for me.”
“Indeed. That’s why I said your question was pointless. Moreover, because this treasure is incomplete, it has another fatal limitation, making it rather impractical even among us Sacred Ancestors,” the green-robed elder added with a strange smile.
“What limitation?” Han Li frowned, instinctively asking.
“Haha, that, I will not say,” Che Qigong laughed, refusing outright.
“If you won’t speak of it, then let it be,” Han Li said, his expression darkening slightly but not showing outright displeasure.
The elder chuckled, dropping the topic. After a brief pause, he posed a new question.
“I’d like to know one more thing—answer carefully. Do you know if there are any ‘Yin-Yang Nether Pools’ or ‘Yellow Springs Earthfire’ in the nearby regions?” Che Qigong asked solemnly.
“Yin-Yang Nether Pools? Yellow Springs Earthfire? Why do you ask?” Han Li’s expression shifted slightly as he cautiously countered with a question of his own.
“You ask too many questions! You haven’t even answered mine yet!” the green-robed elder snapped, his voice turning icy.
“Then consider this my next question,” Han Li replied impassively.
The elder’s face twisted with anger, his eyes gleaming with a piercing silver light.
“You seem to forget—this is merely an insignificant wisp of my divine sense,” Han Li reminded him coolly.
“Hmph! If your true body were here, you wouldn’t dare bargain with me!” Che Qigong snorted, suppressing his rage once more.
Han Li smiled faintly but said nothing further.
After a moment of hesitation, the elder reluctantly explained: “Those two locations are the only places where the Demon-Sealing Lock can be reforged. Placing it within either and performing a secret Saint Clan ritual allows one to extract traces of primordial chaos. For us Sacred Ancestors, whether refining treasures or absorbing the energy ourselves, the benefits are immeasurable. Since our Saint Realm is saturated with true demonic energy, only the Spirit Realm harbors such places. Were it not for this, Blood Light would never have let the Demon-Sealing Lock leave his side, let alone allow it to fall into the hands of a human like you.”
“Placing the Demon-Sealing Lock in these locations can extract primordial chaos? Is this true?” Han Li asked, astonished.
Some ancient texts did mention the miraculous properties of primordial yin-yang energy, filling him with excitement.
“Why would I lie? Since you can manifest a divine sense avatar, you must be at the Body Integration stage. Absorbing even a trace of primordial chaos might pave your way to the Great Ascension realm—or at least elevate your cultivation by an entire stage. And if used to refine a treasure, even the most ordinary item could become a peerless spiritual artifact!” Che Qigong said indifferently.
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