Han Li’s thoughts raced like lightning, and a trace of contemplation appeared on his face.
“Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to be surprised! To be honest, while this is indeed a Corpse Pearl, it is not the one I cultivated. Rather, it is another pearl I obtained when I acquired the Heavenly Corpse Technique back then. It has no connection to me whatsoever. My own Corpse Pearl is of utmost importance—how could I carry it around? It remains safely stored in my tomb.” Seeing Han Li’s reaction, the Xuan Ye King hesitated for a moment before offering an eerie explanation.
“I see! In that case, I won’t hesitate to accept it… It seems your people have arrived. I’ll take my leave first.” Han Li nodded with sudden understanding, but just as he was about to ask something else, his expression shifted. He glanced toward the distant horizon and abruptly announced his departure.
The old demon was momentarily stunned, but before he could respond, Han Li’s body shimmered with cyan light, transforming into a streak of azure radiance that shot into the sky and vanished.
Watching Han Li’s retreating figure, the old demon’s expression darkened with uncertainty. He was torn between belief and doubt regarding Han Li’s words. However, moments later, ghostly howls echoed from the direction of the ancient tomb, followed by rolling waves of emerald clouds filled with overwhelming corpse energy.
Seeing this, the Xuan Ye King was overjoyed. Even if the Venerable Blazing Sands and the others returned now, he no longer feared them.
He transformed into a streak of gray light and flew straight toward the approaching forces.
—
Meanwhile, Han Li dared not delay for even a moment. With the little remaining time before his sealed power returned, he fled like lightning. He needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Xuan Ye King, as well as the yellow-robed man who had left earlier. If his magic power were sealed again and he encountered them, he would be in serious trouble.
With his current full power, Han Li’s speed was extraordinary. Before his magic power was sealed once more, he changed directions several times and managed to travel tens of thousands of miles, leaving the mountain range far behind.
Only then did Han Li relax slightly. After briefly orienting himself, he calmly flew away from the mountains on his magic tool.
Two days later, Han Li descended near a desolate, uninhabited hill. He released several magic tools and carved out a simple cave at the foot of the mountain, immediately sealing the entrance with a set of formation flags.
Han Li himself entered the cave’s inner chamber and sat cross-legged.
“So, you plan to meditate on the King Ming’s Mantra here?” The Great Divination Saint, who had remained silent throughout the journey, finally couldn’t help but ask.
“What? Is this place unsuitable?” Han Li replied noncommittally.
“Hmph! There isn’t even a spiritual vein here. If you cultivate at this speed, I’ll have long since dissipated before you finish.” The Great Divination Saint snorted in annoyance.
“Heh, Senior need not be angry. I was only joking earlier. I’ve already briefly studied the King Ming’s Mantra on the way. The first layer doesn’t require much spiritual energy—I estimate it’ll take about a year to master. However, starting from the second layer, the difficulty increases exponentially, and the cultivation method demands vast amounts of spiritual energy. It must be done in a place with a spiritual vein, or the time required would be unimaginable. To suppress the backlash of the killing aura, I must at least complete the first two layers to barely convert it for my own use.” Han Li chuckled, seemingly in good spirits.
“However, while the Great Jin has many spiritual veins, none are unclaimed—even the poorest ones are occupied. Since I intend to restore my magic power as quickly as possible, I can’t settle for a low-grade spiritual vein. The best course would be to infiltrate a major sect and cultivate in secret.”
“From your tone, it seems you already have a plan in mind,” the Great Divination Saint remarked curiously.
“You’re right. I do have a target in mind—one that doesn’t even require me to forge an identity,” Han Li said confidently.
“Oh? Such a stroke of luck? Do tell,” the Great Divination Saint pressed, intrigued.
“It’s simple. Do you remember the land deeds I obtained from the Feng Family’s secret vault? Among them was another document detailing several of the Feng Family’s secrets. It just so happens that the Feng Family head had prepared a fallback identity for his descendants many years ago—an entirely unrelated identity as a wealthy merchant in the southern province. This merchant is a real person, managing over a dozen well-known shops. However, he was merely a puppet secretly cultivated by the Feng Family, while the true authority and property deeds remained in their hands. Now that the Feng Family is wiped out, this merchant still exists. With him as cover, joining a major sect in the southern province shouldn’t be a problem. After two or three years, once I’ve suppressed the killing aura and mostly recovered, I can freely search for materials.” Han Li explained without holding back.
“Such a thing exists? That’s indeed a fine plan. But then, why have you stopped here? Do you intend to master the first layer first?” The Great Divination Saint pondered for a moment before asking further.
“I do plan to complete the first layer of the King Ming’s Mantra first. Only by practicing it can I truly gauge its difficulty and identify any potential issues. Additionally, while undisturbed here, I’ll bind the Golden Light Shield and refine the crystallized demon core from the trade fair into flying needles for future use. Of course, the most important tasks are these two items.” Han Li sighed, flipping his palm to reveal two orbs—one white and one gold. They were the newly acquired Corpse Pearl and the Snow Crystal Pearl obtained from the Nine Immortals Palace disciple.
“The Snow Crystal Pearl is self-explanatory—a rare ice-attribute treasure that has never been bound. If refined and nurtured, it will greatly benefit the Violet Heavenly Flame. As for this Corpse Pearl, given how many sought it, even a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was willing to kill for it, it must be extraordinary. Senior, do you know its purpose?” Han Li asked solemnly.
“This involves the cultivation methods of demonic and ghostly paths, of which I know little. However, Corpse Pearls are quite renowned. They are typically only formed when a Corpse King deliberately cultivates them. For body-refining cultivators, they can be considered miraculous pills for marrow cleansing and meridian transformation. Once ingested, they gradually enhance the cultivator’s physique, allowing rapid progress in body refinement. With this pearl, it’s entirely possible to refine one’s body to be as hard as a Corpse King or demonic beast. Since this is called a Heavenly Corpse Pearl, its effects must be even more remarkable.” The Great Divination Saint mused before answering.
“Ingest it? Like refining a magic treasure, absorbing it into the body?” Han Li frowned at the golden pearl, hesitant.
“Of course not directly. Corpse Pearls contain extremely potent corpse poison. You must first prepare a special spiritual liquid to neutralize the toxicity. Though the ingredients are rare, I recall you already possess them, so there’s no need to purchase more. Much of the King Ming’s Mantra involves body refinement—this pearl might greatly aid its cultivation. I’ll copy the formula onto a jade slip for you to review.” The Great Divination Saint offered proactively, knowing that until Han Li resolved the killing aura, he couldn’t freely gather materials.
“I see. Many thanks, Senior!” Han Li exhaled in relief, a faint smile appearing on his face.
After a short wait, a jade slip shot out from the bamboo tube, which Han Li caught and examined intently.
However, moments later, the Great Divination Saint suddenly spoke in a strange tone, “Han brat, since escaping the Mulan Grassland, have you forgotten something crucial?”
“Crucial? What do you mean?” Han Li withdrew his focus, puzzled.
“Have you forgotten what’s still trapped inside that Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure cauldron of yours?” The Great Divination Saint sighed.
“Ah, you mean the incarnation of the Heavenly Lazure Beast?” Han Li chuckled.
“Exactly. Since capturing it, I’ve noticed you’ve done nothing about it. Did you truly overlook it?” The Great Divination Saint smirked.
“Overlook it? Impossible. I’ve already dealt with it—it’s just that the cauldron can only be summoned when my magic power is unsealed, so you wouldn’t have noticed.”
“How did you handle it?” The Great Divination Saint pressed with interest.
“What could I do? That cauldron isn’t something I can open at will. The fact that it opened on its own to capture the beast was already beyond my expectations. I merely attempted to communicate with it via divine sense.” Han Li replied wryly.
“And?”
“Hmph! The beast hasn’t been in this realm long and barely possesses any sentience. Communication was impossible.” Han Li grumbled in frustration.
“That’s normal. Since it’s a manifestation of a higher realm spirit beast’s divine sense, it won’t take many years for its intelligence to fully awaken. You can deal with it then.” The Great Divination Saint said dismissively.
“I suppose so. It’s a pity the Heavenly Lazure Saintess’s cauldron, similar to the Void Heaven Cauldron, can’t be retrieved either. The power of the spirit sand it emits would make it an incredibly potent treasure. It’s likely an imitation of the Void Heaven Cauldron.” Han Li sighed regretfully.
“That cauldron clearly isn’t an offensive spirit treasure—it’s more of an auxiliary type. The Seven Flames Fan, however, is a genuine offensive treasure. If you gather the materials and refine an imitation according to my method, its combat power would far surpass that cauldron. Why envy it?” The Great Divination Saint scoffed.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage