One month later, at the edge of the Illusory Roar Desert, several lizard-like demonic beasts burst forth from the grayish sand, each carrying a rider seated firmly on its back.
It was none other than Han Li and his companions, returning from the Bai Family’s mine.
Earlier, upon learning that the demon spirit had been exterminated by the yellow-haired giant and his group, Han Li immediately rushed over with the purple-haired woman to join the other three demon venerables. Together, they eventually located the source of the demon spirit—a massive, now-grayed crystal.
Although the crystal had lost its spiritual essence due to the demon spirit’s demise, it remained an exceedingly rare material for refining artifacts. The yellow-haired giant unceremoniously claimed it for himself.
As for the detailed process of the demon spirit’s extermination, Han Li did not inquire, and neither Luanlong Tianjun, Han Qizi, nor the others volunteered any information.
At Han Li’s request, the group set off on their return journey the very next day after the demon spirit’s destruction, smoothly traversing the Illusory Roar Desert.
The moment they exited the desert, Han Li felt his body lighten as the mysterious force lingering in the void dissipated completely. Simultaneously, the 90% of his suppressed mana instantly returned to normal.
Feeling the surging, abundant mana within him, Han Li exhaled softly.
Being suppressed for so long in the Illusory Roar Desert had been quite unpleasant! The thought of potentially having to venture deep into the desert again for decades made him inwardly grimace.
Still, this trip had been successfully completed, and he had even managed to acquire an extra demonic lizard. The gains were not insignificant. Now, all that remained was to wait quietly for the arrival of the Long Family’s ancestor and the others.
Moreover, the Bai Family had promised him the reward of selecting three treasures from their vault. He wondered if there might be any unexpected surprises in store.
With these thoughts, Han Li felt a faint sense of anticipation.
With their mana restored, the group of Body Integration cultivators naturally traveled at an unimaginable speed. In just half a day, they caught sight of Illusory Night City in the distance.
A few hours later, Han Li, Luanlong Tianjun, and Han Qizi found themselves in a quaintly decorated hall within the Bai Family’s fortress, chatting casually with the purple-haired woman in attendance.
The yellow-haired giant, however, was nowhere to be seen—likely occupied with urgent matters.
This was hardly surprising.
The Bai Family relied entirely on the presence of two demon venerables. Now that both had been away from the clan for over two months, it was only natural that pressing matters required immediate attention.
After the time it took to finish a meal, a figure appeared at the hall’s entrance—the yellow-haired giant had returned.
The Bai Family ancestor wore a smile, as if he had just encountered something pleasing.
“Brother Bai, have you already settled the clan’s affairs so quickly?” Luanlong Tianjun glanced at the giant, his plump face quivering slightly as he spoke.
“Haha, just minor matters. But aside from handling those, I’ve also brought the promised rewards for you all. Feel free to take a look!” The giant chuckled, offering a vague reply before flicking his sleeve toward Han Li and the others. Three black rings flew out, one toward each of them.
Han Li and the other two each raised a hand to catch the rings effortlessly, then swept them with their spiritual sense.
Moments later, satisfaction flickered in the eyes of Luanlong Tianjun and Han Qizi, and they promptly stored the rings away.
Han Li, after inspecting his, remained expressionless. A flash of green light later, the ring vanished silently from his hand.
“Having expended some vitality during this endeavor, I must return to my cave abode to recuperate. I shan’t disturb you two any longer.” Luanlong Tianjun wasted no time—once he had secured his reward, he immediately rose to take his leave.
“If Brother Luanlong is departing, then I shall not linger either.” Han Qizi rasped after a brief consideration.
Seeing this, Han Li’s eyes flickered slightly, but he remained seated without moving.
This drew curious glances from both Luanlong Tianjun and Han Qizi.
Yet Han Li’s expression betrayed nothing.
The yellow-haired giant and the purple-haired woman politely attempted to persuade them to stay, but when it became clear the two were determined to leave, they escorted them to the hall’s entrance. A Bai Family disciple was then summoned to see them out of the fortress before the pair returned to the hall.
By then, Han Li was leisurely sipping a cup of spiritual tea.
“Brother Han, you are remarkably composed! Now that Fellow Daoists Luanlong and Han Qizi are gone, aren’t you afraid my brother and I might renege on those three treasures?” The yellow-haired giant’s eyes gleamed with hidden meaning as he spoke.
“If Brother Bai were truly that petty, the Bai Family would never have reached its current standing.” Han Li responded with a faint smile, unruffled.
“Heh, that much is true. If the Bai Family were to break promises over mere treasures, how could we maintain our position in Illusory Night City? Fifth Sister, take Brother Han to our vault and let him select three treasures. Whatever he fancies, he may take.” The yellow-haired giant waved a hand magnanimously.
“As you say, Elder Brother. Brother Han, please follow me.” The purple-haired woman nodded, offering Han Li a charming smile.
Without ceremony, Han Li cupped his hands slightly toward the yellow-haired giant and followed the woman through a side door.
In the blink of an eye, the hall was left with only the yellow-haired giant.
Watching Han Li’s retreating figure vanish through the door, the giant’s smile faded slightly. He sank into the hall’s main seat with a pensive expression before shaking his head and muttering under his breath, “What a pity. Had I known the demon spirit could be dealt with so easily, I wouldn’t have promised such generous rewards. Still, at least the mine issue is finally resolved. These losses will soon be recouped.”
…
Half an hour later, Han Li stood before a mysterious pavilion enveloped in layers of restrictions.
Outside, at least ten elite Bai Family disciples guarded the place, some openly, others hidden.
Under the purple-haired woman’s guidance, however, Han Li passed unhindered into the pavilion’s first-floor hall.
Flanking the hall were eight bronze statues resembling ferocious demons, standing menacingly on either side.
The faint auras emanating from these statues made it clear they were additional guardians.
Between the two rows of statues stood over a dozen long wooden shelves, their surfaces shimmering with various lights. They held an assortment of demonic artifacts, peculiar materials, jade boxes, wooden cases, and even bottles and jars.
The purple-haired woman remained at the entrance, not stepping inside. With a series of hand seals, she directed spells toward the eight bronze statues before spitting out a violet jade pendant.
At her command, the pendant shot into the hall with a muffled thud, vanishing into the void.
The next moment, the entire hall trembled slightly as an invisible barrier dispersed.
“Brother Han, this is one of our Bai Family’s treasure vaults. You may freely select three items from within.” The woman dismissed her hand seals and turned to Han Li with a smile.
“Then I shall not stand on ceremony.” Han Li replied mildly, sweeping his gaze across the hall.
With his formidable spiritual sense and vast experience, he had already discerned the origins and uses of roughly 80-90% of the treasures here. The remainder either required closer inspection or were entirely new to him, piquing his interest.
Han Li stepped toward a nearby shelf, picking up a piece of material resembling charred wood and examining it carefully.
The purple-haired woman watched from the entrance, smiling without offering any explanations or hints. Clearly, the selection of the three treasures was entirely up to Han Li.
After a moment, Han Li set the material back without expression and moved to the adjacent shelf, where he picked up a jade box tightly sealed with several talismans. A label adorned its surface, and faint silver light seeped through.
Han Li glanced at the label, probed the box with his spiritual sense, and without hesitation stored it away in his storage bracelet.
The purple-haired woman’s expression twitched slightly at this, a hint of pain flashing across her face.
Meanwhile, Han Li had already moved to a palm-sized bottle. After opening it and sniffing lightly, he hesitated briefly before returning it to its place.
Thus, Han Li wandered left and right, passing by most of the shelves without taking anything else.
This surprised the purple-haired woman. In her estimation, several items on those shelves were of comparable value to the one Han Li had just claimed.
After leisurely browsing for the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li reached the last two rows of shelves. There, his gaze settled intently on one particular object.
It was a fist-sized ore, mottled black and white, gleaming with a cold light.
It was none other than the exotic demon gold Han Li had once seen in Blood Crow City—only this piece was ten times larger.
Han Li stared at it silently for a long moment before flicking his sleeve. A swirl of green light swept over the shelf, leaving it empty.
The purple-haired woman’s eyes flickered in astonishment.
While such a large piece of exotic demon gold was rare, compared to the other treasures in the vault, it was practically the least valuable material.
That a demon venerable as enigmatic as Han Li would choose this item was utterly unexpected.
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