“Fellow Daoist Ling, what exactly do you want us to do? There’s no need to beat around the bush,” Mo Jianli asked with a flicker in his eyes.
“Since Brother Mo has put it so bluntly, I’ll speak plainly. This king currently needs the legendary ‘Thread of Time’ to preserve my life. A single thread can be exchanged for one of my Three Pure Thunderbolt Talismans. What do you think, fellow Daoists?” After a slight change in expression, the white-robed elder finally revealed the object of the trade.
“Thread of Time? Are you joking, fellow Daoist? That legendary treasure from the Nine Heavens—how could we possibly obtain it for you?” The group was shocked upon hearing the Spirit King’s words, and Hei Lin reacted with particular anger.
As the name suggested, the Thread of Time was a rare treasure born only in the River of Time, which contained the laws of time. However, such a river could never appear in a lower realm like the Spirit Realm. Only in the True Immortal World might a few such rivers, imbued with supreme Dao laws, exist.
“Brother Spirit King, do you truly have no sincerity in this trade?” Mo Jianli also spoke with a grim expression.
Han Li, who had read about the “Thread of Time” and the “River of Time” in ancient texts, stroked his chin in surprise while his thoughts raced.
Even among the many legendary treasures, the Thread of Time was a marvel of creation. Its greatest effect was to extend one’s lifespan. It was said that a single thread contained enough temporal power to extend the life of a mortal or a low-to-mid-level cultivator by over a thousand years.
For beings of their caliber, however, the Thread of Time had the miraculous effect of delaying heavenly tribulations. A single thread could postpone a minor tribulation by over five hundred years and a major one by over a century. Of course, these were just legends—no one had ever confirmed their exact efficacy.
One thing was certain: the River of Time had never appeared in realms like the Spirit Realm. Now that the Spirit King had suddenly mentioned it, could it be…?
After some thought, Han Li glanced at the white-robed elder, his expression involuntarily shifting.
The next moment, the elder’s light chuckle dispelled Han Li’s speculation.
“Heh, how would this king dare to jest with fellow Daoists? The finest Threads of Time indeed only emerge from the River of Time. But I have no requirements regarding their grade. Even if you find the lowest-grade thread, I will immediately exchange it for a Thunderbolt Talisman. Obtaining a naturally formed Thread of Time is naturally impossible, but if it’s refined artificially, it might not be beyond our reach.” The Spirit King narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke slowly.
Hei Lin and Mo Jianli were taken aback and fell into thought.
Xue Ran, however, frowned before suddenly recalling something, his face flashing with surprise.
“It seems Fellow Daoist Xue Ran has remembered!” The Spirit King turned his gaze to Xue Ran, the foreign Grand Ascension cultivator, and spoke unhurriedly.
“Brother Xue?” Hei Lin turned to Xue Ran in surprise.
Han Li and Mo Jianli exchanged glances but remained silent.
“If I’m not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Spirit King is referring to the Minor Asura Realm that appeared many years ago and its unique Asura Spiders. Beyond that, I can’t think of any other way to obtain an artificially refined Thread of Time,” Xue Ran said slowly after a long pause.
“Minor Asura Realm!”
“Asura Spiders!”
Mo Jianli and Hei Lin exclaimed almost simultaneously.
Han Li, however, blinked in confusion—these were names he had never heard before.
“Correct. The Asura Spiders possess an innate talent for manipulating time and space. Killing a few of these creatures could allow one to extract an artificially refined Thread of Time from their cores. This is far easier than searching for the River of Time,” the Spirit King said leisurely.
“Hmph, you make it sound simple! Never mind how bizarre the Minor Asura Realm is or how terrifying the Asura Spiders are—the entrance to that realm collapsed and vanished during the great battle two hundred thousand years ago. How could anyone enter now?” Xue Ran’s expression shifted several times before he snorted coldly.
“If I’ve proposed this, I’ve naturally made preparations. Fellow Daoists, what do you think this is?” The white-robed elder smiled faintly and flipped his hand, revealing a mass of bloody light.
Han Li focused his gaze.
Within the bloody light was a fist-sized, rough, crimson stone-like object covered in countless tiny pores.
“The Heart of Asura! This is the Heart of Asura! Where did you obtain this, Brother Ling?” Mo Jianli’s expression changed drastically upon seeing it.
Xue Ran and Hei Lin clearly recognized it as well, their faces filled with disbelief.
Only Han Li showed a slight reaction—this was his first time seeing the Heart of Asura, so he had no reason to appear shocked.
However, a voice soon sounded in his ear as Mo Jianli transmitted a message with a slight movement of his lips, offering a brief explanation:
“The Minor Asura Realm appeared once in the southern part of our Feng Yuan Continent two hundred thousand years ago. Unlike our realm, it was relatively small, but all its species bore striking resemblance to those of the ancient, collapsed Asura Realm. The Asura Spiders were one of its most iconic creatures. Many speculated that this realm was a remnant fragment of the Asura Realm after its collapse. Though extremely perilous, it contained many rare materials unobtainable in ordinary realms. At the time, several superpowers fought fiercely over it, accidentally destroying its entrance and causing it to vanish again. Those factions deeply regretted it for a long time.”
Mo Jianli paused briefly in his transmission.
“I see. But what is the Heart of Asura? You seemed quite startled by it,” Han Li transmitted back.
“The Heart of Asura is a mystical object formed from the hearts of powerful creatures in the Minor Asura Realm. It contains a unique energy specific to that realm. Originally, it was only used to refine artifacts and pills. But after the entrance collapsed, someone discovered that carrying this object while activating an ancient, long-abandoned cross-realm teleportation array could bypass the entrance and send someone directly into the Minor Asura Realm. However, the person transported must refine the Heart of Asura into a protective artifact and carry it at all times, as its energy continuously depletes to resist the realm’s repulsion. Once the energy is exhausted, the person is expelled from the realm. Unfortunately, the creatures that possess these hearts are not easy to kill, and few valued them at the time. After the entrance vanished, very few remained, and after so many years of consumption, there are likely only a handful left in existence—perhaps no more than five. That the Spirit King has one naturally shocked me.” Mo Jianli explained in detail.
Han Li nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.
While the two were communicating, Xue Ran, the foreign Grand Ascension cultivator, had taken the Heart of Asura from the white-robed elder and was examining it closely.
After a long while, he exhaled deeply, weighed the object in his hand, and asked solemnly, “This is indeed the Heart of Asura. But how many do you have, Brother Ling?”
“Two,” the elder replied, raising two fingers.
“Two? One Heart of Asura can only transport one person into the Minor Asura Realm. Are you planning to select only two of us to enter?” Xue Ran’s expression darkened.
Mo Jianli’s face also changed upon hearing this.
“Rest assured, fellow Daoists. After my modifications, each Heart of Asura can now be split into two halves. However, the energy that originally allowed one person to stay for a month or so now only lasts about ten days. But given your abilities, that should be enough time to locate the Asura Spiders,” the white-robed elder said calmly.
“Hmph, if we truly enter the Minor Asura Realm, this time frame would only allow us to rely on luck,” Xue Ran snorted.
“If I recall correctly, Fellow Daoists Xue Ran and Hei Lin possess the bloodlines of the ancient true spirits, the Six-Headed Bloodflame Spider and the Black Armored Heavenly Dragon Spider, respectively. For others, this time might not suffice, but with your bloodline senses as guides, your chances should be much higher,” the white-robed elder said with a faint smile.
“You even know this! It seems you’ve investigated us thoroughly,” Xue Ran’s pupils contracted.
Hei Lin’s eyes flashed with a fierce light.
“Heh, originally, the fellow Daoist Shi Xin I invited had a closer bloodline to the Thousand-Eyed Evil Spider, making it easier to locate the Asura Spiders in the Minor Asura Realm. But since he perished in the Demon Realm, I can only place my hopes on you all. As for Brother Mo and Fellow Daoist Han, finding the Asura Spiders would truly depend on luck. Fortunately, the Minor Asura Realm isn’t vast, so even without bloodline guidance, you still have a chance. If I weren’t in urgent need of the Thread of Time and hadn’t anticipated Shi Xin’s demise, I wouldn’t have involved you two. But since you’ve come to me with the relevant tokens, I can only let you try your luck. I’ve said all there is to say—will the four of you venture into the Minor Asura Realm?” The white-robed elder spoke calmly to the four.
Han Li and the others wore solemn expressions, and for a moment, none responded.
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