“You’re currently in the cycle of reincarnation, and your true cultivation isn’t at the Core Formation stage, is it?” Han Li narrowed his eyes, uttering words that sent a chill down the other party’s spine.
“Senior saw through it long ago! This junior was truly foolish. Since Senior knows of the Maiden Reincarnation Technique and that I’m in the reincarnation phase, it’s no surprise at all!” Zhu Guo’er’s expression darkened as she replied in a low voice.
“What was your original cultivation realm? Spirit Infant or Deity Transformation?” Han Li asked directly.
“This junior had reached the Spirit Infant stage. If not for being in the reincarnation phase, I wouldn’t have been ambushed, let alone captured.” Zhu Guo’er bit her red lips before answering slowly.
“Judging by your true age, you’re not too old. To have cultivated the Maiden Reincarnation Technique to this level at such a stage, aside from exceptional talent, you must have had guidance from someone highly proficient in the technique. If your mother also practiced this technique, her realm shouldn’t be low either.” Han Li’s eyes flickered as he continued his questioning.
“If Senior wishes to ask about matters concerning this junior, I’ll answer truthfully. But if it’s about my mother, I can only say I have nothing to disclose.” Upon hearing Han Li’s apparent interest in her mother, Zhu Guo’er’s expression shifted several times before she gritted her teeth and spoke.
“You’re quite the filial daughter—a rare trait indeed. But do you think keeping silent will stop me from finding out?” Han Li chuckled faintly, his words laden with meaning.
“If Senior intends to use soul-searching techniques, this junior would rather self-detonate her Spirit Infant and perish than let Senior succeed!” The yellow-robed girl paled instantly at Han Li’s words, her internal energy surging wildly as if ready to explode at any moment.
But Han Li merely laughed softly.
“Before me, even if you wish to self-detonate, you’ll need my permission first!”
As he spoke, his sleeve flicked casually toward the girl.
A wave of gray mist swept out, enveloping her entirely.
Zhu Guo’er felt her body go numb, her limbs immobilized, and her mana frozen. The turbulent energy gathered in her dantian dissipated like snow in spring, leaving her incapable of self-detonation.
“What did you do to me?” she cried out in panic and fury.
“Nothing much. I just want you to answer my questions honestly. Now, look into my eyes,” Han Li said calmly.
“Eyes…?” Though young, Zhu Guo’er knew she shouldn’t comply, yet Han Li’s words resonated in her ears, compelling her to meet his gaze.
In an instant, two points of blue light flashed in his pupils, spinning rapidly. Her consciousness blurred, and her eyelids grew unbearably heavy.
“No!” she barely managed to think before darkness claimed her.
Han Li remained expressionless, forming a hand seal and sending a spell toward the girl. The blue light in his eyes intensified.
Had one been able to see inside her body, they’d have found Zhu Guo’er’s inch-tall Spirit Infant in her dantian, bound tightly by gray threads and unconscious like its host.
As the green spell entered her, her eyelids fluttered open, but her gaze was vacant, her movements puppet-like.
“Where did you obtain the Maiden Reincarnation Technique?” Han Li’s blue pupils shimmered hypnotically as he spoke in a low, resonant voice.
“It was taught to me by my mother,” Zhu Guo’er replied mechanically.
“Who usually guides your cultivation? Does your mother also practice the Maiden Reincarnation Technique?”
“My mother guides me. She doesn’t practice the Maiden Technique but the Clear Qi Art.”
“The Clear Qi Art? That’s a common Daoist technique. What realm has your mother reached? If she doesn’t practice the Maiden Technique, how can she guide you? Is her realm exceptionally high?” Han Li sounded surprised but maintained his tone.
“My mother is only at the Spirit Infant stage. As for her guidance…” The girl paused, her face blanking momentarily.
“Is there something unusual about her guidance? Speak truthfully!” Han Li pressed.
“Her guidance on the Maiden Technique is indeed unusual. At first, it was normal, but after I formed my Spirit Infant, she often couldn’t answer my questions immediately. She’d need days or weeks to respond. I suspect she has another master truly proficient in the technique.” Her words sent a jolt through Han Li.
“Another master? Have you asked her about it?”
“Many times, but she always denies it.”
“What’s your mother’s name? What does she look like?” Han Li frowned.
“Her name is Ling Feixian. She resembles me by half.” The girl answered without hesitation.
“Half?” Han Li studied her closely before shaking his head and falling silent.
“How did you come to the Demon Realm and become a slave? Where are you originally from?” he asked after a while.
“I was being pursued and fell into a spatial rift, ending up here. I’m from Minor Spirit Heaven.” Her voice remained flat.
“Minor Spirit Heaven? What place is that?” Han Li was taken aback.
“Minor Spirit Heaven is Minor Spirit Heaven,” she replied blankly.
Han Li’s brows furrowed deeply. After a long silence, he sighed. “Never mind. I’ll retrieve this information myself.”
With a change in hand seals, a crystalline thread shot from his brow into the girl’s forehead.
His blue pupils brightened further as he began his search.
Given Zhu Guo’er’s Spirit Infant cultivation, Han Li’s Soul Formation-level probing posed no risk to her psyche.
Within minutes, he’d extracted the desired information and withdrew the thread.
The girl collapsed instantly, soon slipping into deep slumber.
Han Li smiled faintly, closing his eyes to review the memories.
When he reopened them, his face was filled with astonishment. “Minor Spirit Heaven is a fragmented realm like the Moonlight Realm, housing over a hundred million humans? This is truly unexpected.”
Minor Spirit Heaven, it turned out, was a lost fragment of some larger realm, evolving over time into a quasi-independent micro-realm. From Zhu Guo’er’s memories, it was comparable in size to the Moonlight Realm but far inferior in spiritual energy, even slightly below the Spirit Realm.
The realm housed a mix of races, with seven or eight non-human tribes coexisting with humans.
More surprising was that many of its inhabitants seemed to be failed ascendants from lower realms like the Human Realm, accidentally stranded there.
This made it highly plausible that Nangong Wan was also trapped there, explaining her absence from the Spirit Realm.
The thought of his wife stirred a fierce longing in Han Li’s chest, despite his lofty cultivation. He yearned to fly to her side and pour out his heart.
His expression shifted restlessly before he finally regained composure.
Pondering how to reach Minor Spirit Heaven, his face darkened again.
Unlike the Moonlight Realm, Minor Spirit Heaven drifted through the void on a set trajectory. Finding its entrance was largely a matter of luck. Zhu Guo’er’s arrival in the Demon Realm via spatial rift was sheer coincidence.
But since her memories were his only source, he’d need to verify the details elsewhere.
If she could accidentally enter the Demon Realm, others might have reached the Spirit Realm, leaving traces to follow.
Suppressing his impatience, Han Li exhaled deeply and turned his gaze back to the unconscious girl.
While he couldn’t be certain her Maiden Reincarnation Technique came from Nangong Wan, the possibility was significant. In all his time in the Spirit Realm, he’d never heard of any human sect possessing it.
The technique seemed exceedingly rare. The Masked Moon Sect of the Human Realm must have stumbled upon incredible fortune to inherit it.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage