“Senior, there’s been a misunderstanding. What I’ve brought isn’t the sacred relic of our clan, but a replica recently crafted by several elders. It should actually be called the ‘Mini Divine Nest.’ This treasure can only manifest one type of sacred insect, and a very low-tier one at that. Moreover, this replica can only be used once—it becomes completely useless afterward,” the blood-armored puppet explained truthfully.
“A Mini Divine Nest! How intriguing. I’ve long heard of the Floating Clan’s Divine Nest but never had the chance to see the real thing. Since I can’t witness the genuine article, a replica will have to suffice. I can summon your true form here free of charge, but if you still wish to borrow the Five Dragon Guillotine, you’ll need to offer something more,” the so-called “Senior Jiang” said leisurely.
“But I only brought a bottle of Yin Water Sunflower Essence,” the blood-armored puppet hesitated, its eyes flashing with crimson light.
“That’s fine. After you use the Mini Divine Nest, just hand over the discarded original to me. This exchange isn’t unreasonable, is it?” Senior Jiang replied, as if he’d already considered the matter.
“You want the Mini Divine Nest?” The puppet’s voice changed, filled with hesitation.
“Heh, if you’re unwilling, forget it. I only want it out of curiosity. Do you really think I could uncover the secrets of your Divine Nest from a mere replica? Of course, if you’d rather not trade, that’s fine too,” Senior Jiang said dismissively.
“Very well, I agree to the exchange. But I have one condition: after the Divine Nest is used, you may study it for only a month before returning it to me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain it to the clan elders,” the puppet said after some thought, gritting its teeth. It knew relying solely on the Divine Nest might not be enough to deal with Six-Legs and the others.
“Haha! Your word is enough! I’ll help you summon your true form now. It’s fortunate you left a trace of your spirit here—otherwise, even I couldn’t pull someone across realms out of thin air.” A burst of wild laughter echoed from the cave.
With a dull thud, a cluster of silver threads shot out, wrapping around the puppet and dragging it back into the cave.
After a few flashes, the puppet vanished without a trace.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, an immensely powerful spiritual pressure erupted from the white mountain range. A thick golden beam of light shot upward from below, piercing the void above.
Dark winds howled as they converged toward the beam, accompanied by deafening roars. Countless tendrils of black mist emerged, shrouding the surrounding sky so thoroughly that nothing within could be seen.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a thunderbolt resembling a flood dragon flashed through the black mist, followed by a piercing, venomous shriek filled with malice.
…
Han Li exhaled deeply, his eyes opening to reveal a face brimming with joy.
“Fellow Daoist Han, have you finally refined the last mark?” Yuan Yao’s melodious voice sounded behind him.
“Thank you both for your assistance. I never expected the last mark to be so stubborn—it took root in my body and refused to be expelled. I had no choice but to refine it directly within me. Now that all four marks are destroyed, this major threat is finally resolved,” Han Li said, standing and turning to bow sincerely to the two women.
“Haha, Brother Han, there’s no need for such formality. You saved our lives earlier!” Yuan Yao replied with a tired smile.
Yan Li also smiled faintly, though her face was pale. It was no wonder—anyone who had been manipulating such a massive formation for most of the day would be exhausted.
Without a word, Han Li flicked his sleeve, sending two small green bottles flying toward the women, where they hovered in mid-air.
“These are two bottles of ‘Green Yin Pills.’ Their yin-cold properties should be of great use to you both,” Han Li explained.
“My junior sister and I could indeed use these. We won’t stand on ceremony, Brother Han,” Yan Li said with a charming smile. She swept her sleeve, drawing the bottle into her hand, then tipped it to release a black-green pill exuding a dense yin-cold aura.
After sensing the pill’s potency, her eyes lit up. She pinched it between her fingers, examined it briefly, and swallowed it. Closing her eyes, she began circulating her energy to absorb the medicine.
Yuan Yao hesitated briefly before thanking Han Li and doing the same.
Han Li waited quietly as the two women meditated.
By now, the vortex in the sky had vanished, and the black sphere had shrunk to about ten feet in diameter. With the formation deactivated, it was slowly dissipating into mist, soon to vanish entirely.
After the time it takes to eat a meal, the two women opened their eyes, their complexions much improved.
“Brother Han, these pills must be quite valuable! They’ve restored most of our depleted yin energy,” Yan Li said happily.
“I’m glad they were useful,” Han Li replied with a smile.
“Brother Han, we shouldn’t linger here. What’s our next move? Our earlier plan only covered escaping from the Ghost Granny and the others,” Yuan Yao said, biting her lip worriedly.
“You’re absolutely right. We must leave immediately. The moment the marks were destroyed, those demon kings would have sensed my general direction. As for our next steps, we need to find a way to break through space and return to the Spirit Realm. Of course, this won’t be easy. I have some ideas, but we’ll need to plan carefully. Let’s discuss it as we go,” Han Li said, scanning their surroundings with a solemn expression.
“Agreed. We’ll pack up the formation and set off at once.” Since Han Li was the strongest among them, the two women naturally deferred to him.
The women transformed into two dark streaks of light, swiftly collecting the formation tools scattered around.
Han Li tilted his head back and let out a long, thunderous roar that echoed far into the distance.
The Wailing Soul and the Leopard-Qilin Beast, which had been wandering nearby, immediately responded—one with a high-pitched cry, the other with a low growl—before darting back toward Han Li.
A dark streak and a golden shadow flashed past, disappearing into Han Li’s sleeves as he stored the two creatures in his spirit beast ring.
Soon after, once the women had finished their task, the trio chose a direction and sped away on their escape.
…
Half a day after Han Li and his companions left the hills, a green light streaked across the sky, arriving abruptly in the vicinity.
The light contained a slender, graceful figure.
After circling the area, the figure landed atop the hill where Han Li and the others had been, revealing herself—it was Mu Qing.
Her eyes swept the surroundings, her expression darkening as she noticed the remnants of the massive formation, the lingering traces of restrictive spells, and the unusually pure yin energy in the air.
“It seems I’m too late. They’ve already left. So they used a formation to remove the marks. But now that they’re gone, tracking them down will be nearly impossible,” Mu Qing muttered, her face conflicted as if weighing a difficult decision.
“Enough! For that item in the Demon Tomb, I’ll take the risk! Had I known, I would’ve placed another restriction on that Han brat!” She stamped her foot angrily, her delicate features hardening with resolve.
She transformed back into a green light and soared into the sky.
This time, however, she didn’t fly far.
After less than an hour, the green light descended into an unremarkable small mountain range, landing in a secluded valley.
The valley’s yin energy was sparse—even weaker than the surrounding area—making it devoid of any ghosts. This was exactly what Mu Qing wanted.
After inspecting the valley and confirming no anomalies, she flicked her sleeves.
Green light flashed as countless fist-sized orbs shot out, scattering across the valley and burrowing into the ground.
Mu Qing then stomped her foot. The lower half of her body shimmered, transforming into a wooden form as countless milky-white roots extended deep into the earth.
Chanting incantations, she formed hand seals, causing the entire valley to tremble violently.
Where the green orbs had landed, the soil split open as emerald-green saplings sprouted, growing at a visible rate into towering trees dozens of feet tall within moments.
The valley transformed into a lush, verdant paradise, dense with wood-attribute spiritual energy.
Even more astonishing, under Mu Qing’s control, the trees seemed to phase through the earth, shifting positions like ghosts until they formed an enormous, intricate formation centered around her, sealing the valley tightly.
With everything prepared, Mu Qing opened her mouth and spat out an object—a milky-white orb the size of an egg, covered in intricate golden patterns and slightly translucent.
The orb hovered before her, rotating slowly.
After studying it for a long moment, she sighed softly and reached out to tap it with a delicate finger.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage