“What do you want in exchange? Surely you won’t teach me the refining method for free?” Han Li didn’t show wild joy but instead asked coldly.
“I want you to find a way to undo the assimilation effect of the Void Heaven Cauldron on me. Then, before you either pass away or ascend, temporarily shelter me for a while! Additionally, although I’ve already reached the eighth level of cultivation, because I’ve been trapped in the Void Heaven Cauldron, I’ve never undergone the Transformation Lightning Tribulation. I’m afraid I’ll need your help to safely survive the tribulation. Relying solely on my own strength would be quite dangerous.” The Heavenly Luan Beast didn’t hold back, laying out several conditions in one breath.
“Is that all?” Han Li remained expressionless.
“If I were to ask for more, Fellow Daoist might actually start thinking of killing me, no?” The Heavenly Luan Beast chuckled darkly.
“Fine. If these are your only conditions, I can agree. However, freeing you from the Void Heaven Cauldron must wait until either my death or my ascension. Do you have any objections to that?” Han Li weighed the pros and cons briefly before decisively agreeing.
“No problem. Fellow Daoist’s decision is undoubtedly wise. There was never any need for us to fight to the death. And to show my sincerity, I can teach you the Silver Kho Script first.” The Heavenly Luan Beast relaxed inwardly and laughed heartily.
“That would be even better.” Han Li glanced at the golden talisman in his hand and accepted the offer without hesitation.
But after a moment’s thought, he suddenly patted his waist, and a green pouch appeared in his hand—it was the storage pouch of the Golden Flower Ancestor.
Han Li swept it with his spiritual sense, instantly imprinting all its contents into his mind.
A short while later, he shook the pouch, and a stream of green light shot out, spitting several jade slips of varying colors onto the ground.
Han Li began meticulously examining the cultivation techniques and secret arts recorded in each jade slip, seemingly forgetting about the Heavenly Luan Beast in the cauldron for the moment.
The beast, however, was tactful enough not to disturb him.
After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li’s brows twitched as he withdrew his spiritual sense from the last jade slip, a look of puzzlement crossing his face.
He hadn’t found anything related to the golden talisman in his hand among these jade slips.
Could it be that this golden talisman wasn’t crafted by this person and was instead something he stumbled upon? Han Li couldn’t help but consider this possibility.
Suddenly, his expression shifted as if he remembered something. He lowered his head abruptly, his spiritual sense diving back into the storage pouch and immediately locking onto one item.
With another flash of green light, the pouch spat out a yellow wooden box about half a foot in size, sealed with a restriction talisman.
Without ceremony, Han Li tore off the talisman and tapped the lid of the box.
The box slowly opened, revealing a fist-sized milky-white jade plaque covered in faintly glowing silver runes—precisely the same Silver Kho Script.
These runes were incredibly tiny, yet when examined with spiritual sense, they appeared crystal clear.
However, the plaque was clearly broken, missing half of its original form.
Han Li was taken aback, but before he could inspect it closely, the silver runes on the plaque flashed wildly. The plaque suddenly leaped up, transforming into a streak of silver light that shot away.
Startled, Han Li had already been on guard after seeing the restriction talisman on the box. As the silver light flew a few feet away, he reached out like lightning, his fingers radiating green light.
The nearby space trembled with a resonant hum, as if thunder had struck on a clear day. The silver light shuddered, its flight halted, and the jade plaque reappeared in its original form.
Han Li’s expression darkened as he clenched his fingers.
The silver light was irresistibly pulled back by an immense force, landing firmly in Han Li’s grasp, unable to move an inch.
“The Golden Gate Jade Book! Impossible! How could this thing have fallen into this realm?!” The Heavenly Luan Beast in the cauldron, sensing what had just happened, blurted out in shock, its voice trembling slightly.
“Oh? Fellow Daoist Heavenly Luan recognizes this object?” Han Li’s heart tightened.
For a Spirit Realm demon beast to lose its composure like this, the plaque’s origins must be extraordinary.
“Impossible… This thing shouldn’t exist in the human realm. Given its spiritual nature, why would it stay in a lower realm with such sparse spiritual energy like this? Ah, I see—this page of the Jade Book is a fragment, its spiritual nature nearly depleted, leaving it powerless to return to the Spirit Realm. But who could have possessed such immense power to tear the Jade Book and reduce it to a fragment?”
The Heavenly Luan Beast seemed not to hear Han Li’s question, muttering to itself as if the plaque’s appearance in the human realm had shocked it beyond self-control.
Han Li frowned and coughed lightly twice.
“Ah, forgive my lapse. This object has truly taken me by surprise.” The Heavenly Luan Beast finally regained its composure and offered an explanation.
“Given Fellow Daoist’s reaction, this object must indeed have a remarkable background. From what you’ve said, it seems to have originated from the Spirit Realm?” Han Li waved the jade plaque slowly before the Void Heaven Cauldron, his voice laced with curiosity.
“Remarkable background? That’s an understatement. If I told you its origins, you’d be just as stunned. This object doesn’t come from the Spirit Realm—it descended from the True Immortal World. It’s a genuine immortal artifact.” Suddenly, a flash of green light appeared on the surface of the Void Heaven Cauldron, coalescing into a foot-tall, chubby boy of three or four years old.
Yet, the boy’s face was grim, his eyes locked onto the jade plaque in Han Li’s hand, flickering with complex emotions—envy, regret, and more.
Hearing that the plaque was an immortal artifact, Han Li’s expression shifted dramatically. But upon seeing the boy materialize, he was startled at first, then quickly relaxed.
This was merely a projection conjured by the Heavenly Luan Beast using residual spiritual energy from the cauldron. Its true form couldn’t leave the Void Heaven Cauldron without Han Li personally lifting the restrictions. His attention swiftly returned to the so-called “Golden Gate Jade Book.”
“An immortal artifact? Am I hearing this correctly?” Han Li eyed the plaque skeptically.
“Compared to the True Immortal World, the barriers between the Spirit Realm and your human realm are far weaker. It’s not unheard of for immortal artifacts to occasionally end up in our realm. But the Golden Gate Jade Book is so renowned that even I couldn’t help but lose my composure.” The Heavenly Luan Beast sighed.
“I see. Fellow Daoist Heavenly Luan, would you mind enlightening me about this object?” Han Li asked after a moment’s thought.
“Of course! Among the humans of the Spirit Realm, this book’s fame is near-universal. It’s hardly a secret. To speak of it, we must start with the immortals of the True Immortal World. Our Spirit Realm often receives objects from the immortal world due to various reasons, but truly useful treasures are exceedingly rare. Moreover, since recorded history, immortals have almost never descended to our realm. I say ‘almost’ because long ago, the remains of an immortal once appeared in the Spirit Realm. The Golden Gate Jade Book was found on that immortal’s body. It’s said to have originally consisted of 108 pages, each recording an immortal secret art. The inner 36 pages documented cultivation methods, including mantras and profound transformations. The outer 72 pages, however, covered a vast array of topics—talismans, formations, alchemy, artifact forging, and more.”
The boy spoke with palpable envy before pausing and continuing, “The inner 36 pages are the most crucial. The outer 72 pages, though diverse, offer little practical use. Most of the materials mentioned for alchemy, talismans, or formations are unheard of, making them useful only for reference. Aside from a few exceptions, the outer pages are largely ornamental. The great war that swept the Spirit Realm back then was primarily fought over the inner 36 pages. Yet, after countless millennia of changing hands, only about seven or eight pages’ whereabouts are known today. Those who obtained and mastered them often became towering figures among humans—if not on par with the Three Sovereigns, then at least rulers of their own domains. Even more enticing is the rumor that every human who achieved the Great Dao and ascended to the immortal world in the last 100,000 years had practiced techniques from these pages. Whether true or not, it’s enough to drive your human cultivators to madness.”
“Human cultivators? Wait, do you mean all these jade pages ended up in human hands?” Han Li, initially stunned, caught a discrepancy and frowned.
“Heh! Initially, our demon race also fought for the inner 36 pages. But soon, our elders discovered that the techniques recorded were only suitable for human cultivators. When demon cultivators attempted them, they either saw no effect, suffered severe cultivation damage, or even exploded on the spot. After repeated failures, we abandoned the pursuit entirely. Though priceless, these pages were utterly useless to us. That said, the immortal’s remains were also of human form, so it’s not entirely surprising that the techniques were tailored for your kind.” The boy sighed regretfully.
“I see. But if no immortals ever descended to the Spirit Realm, how did your people confirm that those remains belonged to an immortal? Couldn’t they have been from an extraordinarily powerful cultivator?” Han Li stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“That, I’m not sure of. This happened so long ago, before I even gained sentience. But given that so many mighty human and demon elders of the time unanimously agreed it was an immortal’s remains, it’s unlikely they were mistaken.” The boy hesitated before answering.
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