While the Confucian scholar surnamed Zhong and the woman surnamed Yue were discussing the eerie aspects of the Fallen Demon Valley, Han Li was already a hundred miles away. The remainder of his journey passed without incident, and after several hours, he smoothly arrived at the entrance of the cave in the Inner Valley.
Once again retrieving the Two Extremes Ring, Han Li entered the cave passage under the protection of this treasure. Traversing the several-mile-long cave did not take much time, and soon Han Li emerged from the section of the passage filled with the Northern Polar Primal Light, spotting the slightly pale exit of the cave. With a hint of joy in his heart, he quickened his pace.
Moments later, Han Li’s vision brightened as he reappeared before the cliff in the Outer Valley.
Raising his head to glance at the dim sky, though it still appeared uncomfortable, it was far better than the nearly omnipresent crimson glow in the Inner Valley.
After briefly scanning the vicinity with his spiritual sense and finding nothing unusual or any other cultivators nearby, Han Li relaxed slightly and turned his gaze to the cave wall at the entrance.
Without hesitation, he flicked his hand, sending out a green incantation that vanished into the stone wall with a flash of spiritual light. Then, without a word, Han Li formed a hand seal and began chanting a low incantation. A bizarre scene unfolded!
The seemingly ordinary cave wall suddenly shimmered with a layer of green light, enveloping the entire surface. Then, swarms of golden Gold Devouring Beetles surged out from the light screen, dropping silver crystal fragments of varying sizes—some as large as fists, others as small as beans. In the blink of an eye, a small pile of these silver-like, semi-transparent crystals had formed before Han Li. These were the refined crystallized remnants of the Heavenly Silver Sand ore.
At first, Han Li remained calm as the crystals fell, but when the pile grew to over a dozen, he couldn’t help but show astonishment.
“Han boy! The Heavenly Silver Sand vein here is far richer than we anticipated. It seems the few mechanical puppets I’ve been developing can now be forged with this material!” The voice of the Great Divination Sage echoed in Han Li’s mind, brimming with excitement.
“Indeed, I never expected such an abundance of Heavenly Silver Sand here. This harvest is truly extraordinary!” Han Li replied with delight, watching as the last swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles dropped their extracted crystals. After surveying the glittering pile on the ground, he flicked his sleeve, releasing a wave of green light that swept up all the crystals into his storage pouch.
With a sharp whistle, the golden cloud of beetles hovering in the air descended like a swarm, disappearing into his spirit beast pouch. Once everything was settled, Han Li patted his storage pouch, retrieving a thumb-sized transparent orb. He exhaled a breath of green spiritual energy onto it, causing the originally clear orb to shimmer with light as a pea-sized green dot appeared within.
Han Li studied the orb intently for a while, frowning slightly before glancing around to confirm his direction. With a flash of spiritual light, he transformed into a green streak and shot into the sky, heading toward his destination.
Throughout his flight, Han Li kept the orb in hand, periodically checking it and adjusting his course. As a result, his speed was not particularly fast, and he traveled unhurriedly.
After flying several dozen miles and passing a stretch of wilderness, Han Li suddenly let out a soft exclamation and halted his flight. Descending in a green glow, he stopped about thirty zhang above the ground and peered downward.
Below lay the severed corpse of a male cultivator, its long-dried black blood staining the surrounding earth. The corpse was devoid of any storage pouches or magical treasures, which had evidently been taken.
“It seems someone has finally succumbed to temptation,” Han Li murmured with a sigh after observing the corpse for a moment. Having confirmed the absence of spatial rifts nearby, he concluded the man had been slain by another cultivator.
Without lingering, Han Li soon departed, continuing his journey. Though he believed that, aside from the two late-Nascent Soul cultivators, no one in the valley posed a real threat to him, he remained wary of ambushes or coordinated attacks by groups of cultivators.
While such a scenario was unlikely, Han Li’s cautious nature prompted him to heighten his vigilance. Over the next few hours, he encountered no ambushes but did stumble upon two more corpses—victims of invisible spatial rifts. Shaking his head at their mangled remains, he pressed on.
Following the orb’s guidance, Han Li eventually arrived above a dense, verdant forest.
Surveying the endless expanse of towering trees below, he pondered for a moment before suddenly clenching the orb in his fist. With a surge of force, green light flashed around his fingers, and the orb shattered into nothingness. The green dot within, however, remained, floating freely before him. Han Li pointed at it, and the dot began moving in a specific direction, which he followed closely.
Fifteen minutes later, the green dot veered downward into the forest. Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he descended after it. Upon reaching the ground, the dot circled a massive tree before vanishing into its trunk.
Approaching the tree, Han Li landed and examined it briefly before striking it with his palm. With a dull thud, a green talisman emerged from the bark, which Han Li swiftly plucked with two fingers. Smiling faintly, he flicked the talisman, causing it to ignite and shoot into the sky as a red streak.
Remaining seated cross-legged, Han Li closed his eyes to recover some of the spiritual energy expended during his journey.
Shortly after, the red streak landed in an inconspicuous corner of the forest, and moments later, a streak of light soared from that spot, heading straight for Han Li.
Even before the light approached, Han Li sensed its arrival and opened his eyes calmly.
Soon, the streak arrived, circling above him as if verifying his identity before descending. As it touched the ground, the light dissipated, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman in a white dress, resembling a celestial maiden.
Han Li’s gaze settled on her naturally.
“Fairy Violet Spirit, you arrived quite swiftly,” Han Li remarked calmly.
“Swift? I’ve been waiting here for days. During that time, at least six or seven groups of cultivators have searched this forest, and their frequency is increasing. Had you delayed any longer, I might not have been able to stay hidden,” Fairy Violet Spirit replied with a melodious yet slightly resentful tone, stepping forward gracefully.
Han Li chuckled, studying her jade-like complexion before remarking, “I’m surprised to see you in your true form. I assumed you’d come disguised.”
“I initially used a disguise, but the artifact concealing my appearance seems to have been affected by something in the Fallen Demon Valley, gradually losing its effect. I had no choice but to reveal my true self. What? Does Han-dàozhǎng find my appearance unworthy of his gaze?” Fairy Violet Spirit teased with a playful smile.
“You jest,” Han Li replied with a wry smile before growing serious. “Is this the first marked location you found?”
“Indeed, it’s almost certainly correct. The original mark seems to have been destroyed by the Ghost Spirit Sect, but the very act of doing so confirms this is the right place,” Fairy Violet Spirit answered, her smile fading.
“Then let’s follow the Ghost Spirit Sect’s trail. It might save us some trouble,” Han Li said coldly, his eyebrows rising slightly at the mention of the sect.
“I’ll follow your lead. A month ago, I placed a unique mark from our Mystic Sound Sect on one of their disciples—not a spiritual one, but an odorless, colorless fragrance. Its range is limited and lasts only two months, but it’s perfect for tracking them now,” Fairy Violet Spirit explained, a sly glint in her eyes.
“Your efforts are appreciated. Let’s set off. We’ll overtake the Ghost Spirit Sect and secure the remaining marks before they do. The Spirit Candle Fruit will then be ours,” Han Li said, rising to his feet.
A silver-furred flying mouse suddenly darted out from the forest, sniffing the air before transforming into a silver streak and shooting off in a specific direction. Moments later, two dazzling streaks of light followed closely behind.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage