While Han Li was pondering, Wei Wuyai let out a long sigh of relief.
“Excellent, these are indeed the shed scales of a transformed Poison Flood Dragon. They are precisely what I need. It seems my treasure has the potential to reach even greater heights.” With a pleased expression, Wei Wuyai carefully placed the blood-red scales back into the jade box, which then vanished with a flash of light.
He then raised his head and scrutinized Han Li once more before speaking earnestly, “To be honest, Fellow Daoist Han, I am truly surprised you could produce something so precious. These Poison Flood Dragon scales are of great importance to me. Though this exchange benefits us both, since you will be representing our Tiannan in the upcoming wager battle, I cannot let you suffer too much of a loss. Here—I still have one last piece of Gold Essence, originally reserved for my descendants. Since you truly need it, I’ll give it to you as well. That way, I won’t feel I’ve taken advantage of you.” With a flip of his palm, Wei Wuyai produced another egg-sized piece of Gold Essence and tossed it to Han Li.
“So there was still more Gold Essence!” A faint smile curled at the corners of Han Li’s lips as he caught it, inwardly delighted.
With this additional piece, refining all thirty-six flying swords simultaneously would now be more than sufficient. This outcome fulfilled most of his earlier intentions in presenting such rare materials. After all, materials from an eighth-grade demon beast were slightly more valuable than Gold Essence. If the two hadn’t offered more, it would have been unreasonable for him to participate in the wager battle. If they still had Gold Essence, his move would likely force them to produce it.
Of course, such intentions didn’t need to be spoken aloud—they were naturally understood. After all, as Nascent Soul cultivators, none of them were easily fooled. Otherwise, Han Li could have simply taken the initial Gold Essence and left without another word, treating it as a simple trade and ignoring the wager battle entirely. The two old monsters would have had no grounds for complaint.
Meanwhile, Zhiyang Shangren had finished examining the item in his hands, a faint smile appearing on his face, clearly satisfied with the turtle shell. However, upon seeing Wei Wuyai produce another piece of Gold Essence, he hesitated briefly before reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a thumb-thick, five-to-six-inch-long pale yellow object resembling a plant root.
“Fellow Daoist Han, I sense an exceptionally strong wood-attribute spiritual energy from you, suggesting you cultivate a wood-based technique. I don’t have anything particularly suitable on hand, but I do have this small segment of an ancient Immortal Vine root. Whether used to refine wood-attribute treasures or carried to nourish wood spiritual energy, it will be of great use. It should more than compensate for this eighth-grade Profound Turtle shell,” Zhiyang Shangren said solemnly.
“Oh? This is…” Wei Wuyai’s expression shifted slightly in surprise upon seeing the object in Zhiyang Shangren’s hand.
Han Li was initially disappointed, but Wei Wuyai’s reaction sparked a realization. “Ancient Immortal Vine? Could this be the same Profound Heaven Immortal Vine that the Righteous and Devil Dao factions tried to revive with the Sacred Tree Sap?” Han Li’s eyes widened as he stared at the item in Zhiyang Shangren’s hand.
Zhiyang Shangren, unsurprised by Wei Wuyai’s recognition, calmly explained, “Given your status, Fellow Daoist Han, you must have heard of the recent emergence of the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t revive it. In the end, the Righteous and Devil Dao factions had to divide it for use as refining material. This is one-quarter of the vine’s root. Since my cultivation follows a fire-attribute path, this wood-attribute material, though rare, is useless to me. I’ll give it to you.” With that, he tossed the root to Han Li.
“Profound Heaven Immortal Vine!” Han Li murmured as he caught the pale yellow segment, inwardly astonished.
Having read numerous ancient texts, Han Li was well aware of what the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine represented and why the Righteous and Devil Dao factions had gone to such lengths to revive it.
The term “Immortal Vine” was a broad classification for any vine-type spiritual root with extraordinary uses in this realm. However, the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine was different—only a handful of the most ancient vine-type spiritual roots could bear the prefix “Profound Heaven.” These vines were primordial spiritual roots that emerged at the dawn of creation, bearing flowers and fruits with abilities that defied the natural laws of this world—truly heaven-defying existences.
Yet, knowledge of the specific types and powers of Profound Heaven Immortal Vines had long been lost to time. The Righteous and Devil Dao factions had only identified the withered vine as such from the writings of an ancient cultivator in a hidden cave.
Initially, both factions fought fiercely over it, treating it as a supreme treasure. Later, their higher-ups decided to first attempt reviving it. After all, even if revived, the vine might take tens of thousands of years to bear fruit—if it ever did.
They exhausted every method—arcane techniques, spiritual waters, even the Sacred Tree Sap from the three sects, including Fallen Cloud Sect—but the vine showed no signs of revival.
In the end, the factions gave up and divided the vine into over a dozen segments, splitting them equally. As the Grand Elder of the Righteous Dao Alliance, Zhiyang Shangren naturally received a small portion as tribute.
Wei Wuyai also recognized the vine because he possessed a small segment of its stem, obtained through unknown means from the Nine Nations Alliance.
Since the vine couldn’t be revived and was now just high-tier refining material, its value had diminished in Zhiyang Shangren’s eyes. Despite its legendary status, it was of little use to him, hence his willingness to trade it to Han Li.
Wei Wuyai soon understood Zhiyang Shangren’s reasoning and his surprise faded.
Though Han Li now knew the root’s origin, he felt no joy—only mild disappointment.
He wasn’t lacking in top-tier refining materials; he had hoped for more Gold Essence. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have offered eighth-grade demon beast materials. His Emerald Swarm Sword required constant nurturing, leaving no spare spiritual power for new treasures. Additional ancient treasures would have been far more practical.
Clearly, Zhiyang Shangren had no more Gold Essence, hence the offer of the vine root. Without further comment, Han Li stored the root in a jade box, resolving to test it with the mysterious green liquid from his small vial later. The liquid had already proven capable of accelerating the growth of the Three Divine Woods—perhaps it could work a miracle here too. Though the odds were slim, the potential reward made it worth trying. With this thought, his disappointment faded.
Before the other two could speak, Han Li coughed lightly and tactfully said, “Since I’ve obtained the Gold Essence, I will naturally participate in the wager battle in seven days. It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave to prepare.” Without lingering, he bid farewell.
“Fellow Daoist Han is quite decisive. The wager battle is no small matter, so preparations are necessary. We won’t keep you,” Zhiyang Shangren said politely with a smile.
Han Li nodded, clasped his fists, and turned to leave. As he neared the exit, Wei Wuyai, who had been watching him go, suddenly moved his lips subtly, sending a near-inaudible transmission:
“Fellow Daoist Han, out of gratitude for the Poison Flood Dragon scales, I’ll let the matter of you taking Daoist Nan Gong slide. Forced matches bear no sweet fruit—the matter between her and my nephew is hereby dropped.”
Han Li stiffened momentarily in shock, then felt a surge of elation. Without turning back, he quickened his pace and exited the hall.
As Han Li’s figure disappeared, Wei Wuyai and Zhiyang Shangren exchanged thoughtful glances before falling into silence.
After a moment, Zhiyang Shangren spoke slowly, “What do you make of this? Fellow Daoist Han actually possesses materials from an eighth-grade demon beast—it’s truly unbelievable. Could it be, as our investigations suggest, that during his disappearance via the ancient teleportation formation, he inherited the complete legacy of an ancient cultivator? Otherwise, how could he advance to Nascent Soul so quickly and amass such treasures?”
“Likely so. But what does it matter to us? He’s not the only one to stumble upon ancient techniques and treasures. Opportunities are fickle—there’s no point envying him. Unless you’re thinking of killing him for his possessions?” Wei Wuyai sneered.
“Kill him for treasure? Brother Wei jests! Not only is the battle imminent, making such actions unthinkable, but even in peacetime, given his ability to escape from a Mulan Divine Sage, I’d never risk such a futile endeavor. Besides, no treasure of his could help me break through to the Deity Transformation stage. Why provoke such a troublesome individual? Moreover, he’s part of the Heavenly Dao Alliance—Long Han and his wife are no pushovers either.” Zhiyang Shangren chuckled dryly and shook his head.
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