Chapter 876: Obtaining the Spirit Island

Regarding the words of the Joyful Demon, neither Han Li nor the others had any objections. The group first returned to Spirit Turtle Island.

Han Li requested a secluded chamber from Frost Li the Transcendent to meditate and rest for the night, while Wei Wuyan and the others went to retrieve the array disks from the formation masters.

Early the next morning, Han Li received a voice transmission from Frost Li the Transcendent in the chamber and immediately went to the hall.

There, he saw Wei Wuyan and the other two sitting together on chairs, deep in conversation. Raising an eyebrow, Han Li walked over without hesitation.

“Fellow Daoist Han, please take a seat. These are the precise locations where the array disks, derived from the sealing formation, must be buried. We hope you can carry them with you and memorize them clearly,” Wei Wuyan said politely as soon as Han Li approached. With a flip of his hand, he placed a pale-red jade slip on the table before him.

“Oh? Let me take a look,” Han Li replied impassively. With a wave of his hand, the jade slip flew toward him with a *whoosh*, landing firmly in his grasp. He casually took a seat on a nearby chair and immersed his spiritual sense into the slip.

After a while, Han Li’s expression gradually darkened. By the time he withdrew his spiritual sense, his face was completely grim.

“Fellow Daoists, sending me so deep to place these array disks—are you trying to ensure I never return?” Han Li tossed the jade slip onto the table, raised his head, and spoke coldly.

“How could you say such a thing? Though the placement is deep, with your Evil-Warding Divine Lightning, Fellow Daoist Han should have no trouble reaching it,” the Joyful Demon said calmly, his expression unreadable.

“Is that so? Does Brother Joyful think my Evil-Warding Divine Lightning is inexhaustible? Or perhaps you believe that once the array disks are placed, there’s no need to consider my return?” Han Li shot the demon a glance, his tone tinged with irritation.

“From your words, it seems your Evil-Warding Divine Lightning isn’t enough for a round trip. Yet, Wei recalls that during the battle with the ancient demon in Falling Devil Valley, you wielded a considerable amount of it. It shouldn’t be a problem,” Wei Wuyan frowned and spoke slowly.

“Have any of you ventured deep into the demonic energy?” Han Li asked, his expression turning peculiar.

“Hmm? What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Han?” Wei Wuyan was taken aback.

The Joyful Demon’s eyes flickered, but he remained silent. Frost Li the Transcendent lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought.

“If you had descended to a certain depth, you’d know that the deeper one goes into the demonic abyss, the stronger the demonic influence in the energy becomes, and the faster the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning is consumed. I discovered this after descending two to three hundred zhang. Though I possess some Evil-Warding Divine Lightning, it won’t last long thousands of zhang below,” Han Li crossed his fingers before his chest and spoke icily.

“Such a thing exists? Brother Frost, among the three of us, you’ve ventured deepest into the demonic energy. Is this true?” Wei Wuyan’s brows furrowed as he turned to Frost Li the Transcendent.

“It is indeed true. When I used a secret technique to descend deeper, I noticed my spiritual power draining faster than at the surface. I had intended to warn Fellow Daoist Han, assuming he hadn’t noticed yet,” Frost Li sighed and nodded in confirmation.

“If that’s the case, had we sent a cultivator with demon-repelling treasures into the demonic energy, even if they started unharmed, they’d still risk corruption upon descending deeper,” the Joyful Demon’s expression shifted slightly.

“Precisely. That’s why I’ve always been skeptical of the initial plan. But before Fellow Daoist Han appeared, we had no alternatives, so I didn’t oppose it,” Frost Li admitted with a bitter smile.

Han Li observed their conversation and expressions coldly, feeling somewhat frustrated. He couldn’t tell whether the three were genuinely unaware or deliberately scheming. Regardless, this was their oversight, and he couldn’t easily agree to such a perilous task.

The hall fell into silence.

No one would willingly walk into certain death to place array disks. As for pressuring Han Li with moral obligations—that was out of the question.

Everyone present was astute. At their level of cultivation, even if half of the South Heaven were affected by demonic energy, let alone the entire region being destroyed, none would sacrifice themselves. They could simply leave South Heaven and settle elsewhere with ease.

With Han Li being the only one capable of entering the demonic energy to complete the task, the three great cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.

At that moment, Han Li’s eyes flickered, and he spoke in a measured tone, “I understand the gravity of this matter, and I know you’re in a difficult position. I have a proposal to try.”

“What proposal? Please speak freely, Fellow Daoist Han,” Frost Li urged immediately.

Wei Wuyan and the Joyful Demon perked up, their gazes fixed on Han Li.

“It’s simple. I believe my Evil-Warding Divine Lightning can sustain me long enough to place the array disks, but the return journey will be troublesome. Thus, I’ll need the demon-repelling treasures you’ve prepared to extend my endurance. However, this approach still carries significant risk…” Han Li paused, feigning hesitation.

“No problem! As long as the array disks are placed, you may borrow the treasures,” Wei Wuyan said eagerly, his face brightening.

“Given the danger, we won’t let Fellow Daoist Han take this risk without reward. Right, Brother Joyful?” Frost Li suddenly smiled at the Joyful Demon.

The Joyful Demon hesitated briefly before nodding. “Indeed. In fact, even without this matter, we had planned to gift one of the Seven Spirit Islands to Fellow Daoist Han.”

“Gift me an island?” Han Li’s pupils contracted in surprise.

“Correct. Though the seven islands were ostensibly divided among seven sects, most belong to our three factions. One remained unallocated, originally intended for your alliance’s leaders, Long Han and Feng Bing. But as they’re currently in seclusion, it was temporarily held by a minor sect. Now that you’re willing to undertake this perilous task, assigning Spirit Turtle Island to your Falling Cloud Sect should raise no objections,” Frost Li explained amiably.

“Truly?” Han Li was stunned. He’d heard these islands boasted excellent spiritual veins and sizable spirit stone mines—priceless assets.

“But if the islands are part of the grand formation, won’t they sink once the formation is repaired?” Han Li asked warily.

“Rest assured. Our repair method differs slightly from the original sealing formation. These islands won’t be wasted. Of course, the sects occupying them will henceforth share the duty of guarding the seal,” Wei Wuyan explained calmly.

“Since you’ve offered such generous terms, it would be unreasonable for me to refuse. But once this is done, I won’t participate further,” Han Li stated bluntly after a moment’s thought.

“Haha, as long as you place the array disks, you’ll have done your part. Leave the rest to us,” Wei Wuyan laughed heartily.

The Joyful Demon and Frost Li, though initially hesitant, now seemed at ease.

Wei Wuyan then retrieved a white, circular object from his storage pouch and handed it over.

Han Li examined it—a palm-sized, exquisitely crafted white jade array disk, glowing with spiritual light and inscribed with intricate runes. It was clearly no ordinary artifact.

With a flash of cyan light, the disk vanished into his storage pouch.

“All preparations are complete. When do you plan to descend, Fellow Daoist Han?” Wei Wuyan asked, satisfied.

“The sooner the better. After resting overnight, my spiritual power has recovered. If you have the demon-repelling treasures on you, I’ll descend now to place the disks. Delaying even a day or two risks unforeseen changes in the demonic energy,” Han Li said solemnly.

The three great cultivators had no objections. The demon-repelling treasures they’d painstakingly gathered were naturally at hand, and they promptly handed them over to Han Li.

A flood dragon-headed jade scepter, a fiery red Eight Trigram mirror, a golden battle armor, and a small black flag.

Without hesitation, Han Li tested each treasure in their presence. All were extraordinary—three radiated intense yang energy, highly effective against demonic energy, while the black flag was a renowned demonic artifact.

According to the Joyful Demon, though the flag originally summoned ghostly winds, it could also absorb demonic energy for self-preservation. Han Li’s fingers lingered on the flag thoughtfully before storing it away, earning a curious glance from the Joyful Demon.

With the treasures secured, Han Li and the trio left Frost Li’s abode, heading straight for the great whirlpool. Hours later, Han Li stood alone at the vortex’s base.

Gazing at the demonic energy beneath the light barrier, he clenched his fists. Thunder crackled as thick golden arcs erupted from his body, forming a protective net over the barrier.

Observing the golden lightning, Han Li’s lips curled into a faint smirk.

No matter how cunning Wei Wuyan and the others were, they’d never guess he possessed seventy-two Golden Lightning Bamboo flying swords. By his estimate, he could make not just one but multiple round trips with ease. Otherwise, he’d never have accepted such a perilous task.

His earlier bargaining served two purposes: first, to claim the benefits Frost Li had hinted at during their meeting at Hundred Crafts Pavilion; second, to prevent the trio from discerning his true capabilities, deliberately misleading them about his Evil-Warding Divine Lightning reserves.

In South Heaven, only the three great cultivators and the Mulan Divine Masters posed any threat to him. Han Li had to keep his cards close.