The Soul-Severing Sand was truly no ordinary treasure. To refine this weapon capable of tainting others’ magical artifacts, the yellow-robed burly man had secretly slaughtered countless low-level cultivators in the past, extracting their essence souls and using vast amounts of rare materials, spending over a century of arduous effort before finally succeeding in its refinement.
In previous encounters with formidable foes, the duo had only needed to unleash this sand to achieve near-invincibility. Even against opponents of the same cultivation level, this treasure had repeatedly demonstrated its might, earning them great renown—so much so that the burly man had earned the moniker “Venerable Mad Sand,” becoming a notorious figure among the unorthodox sects.
This time, his audacity to provoke the infamous King Xuan Ye among the demonic cultivators was partly due to the confidence this treasure afforded him.
Yet now, as he released the sand into the formation to deal with the unknown cultivator before him, not only did it fail to harm the enemy, but a significant portion was swiftly absorbed by the colossal ape the opponent had summoned. Naturally, this filled the yellow-robed man with immense regret, and he dared not continue driving the sand mist to besiege his foe. Instead, he hastily formed hand seals to withdraw all the black sand near Han Li. At the same time, this turn of events made him hesitate, and a flicker of retreat arose in his heart.
“Brother Mad Sand, didn’t you borrow the Azure Crystal Divine Sand? Why not use it against this man? Though we don’t know what kind of spirit beast that ape is, it clearly only counters ghostly and yin energy. The Azure Crystal Divine Sand is a pure Daoist treasure—there’s no way he can withstand it. Once we kill him, everything can proceed as planned,” said the grotesquely ugly True Monarch Tianfeng, a dark-skinned, horse-faced old man with small eyes.
For this operation, he had invested immense effort and was unwilling to see it fail at the last moment.
“The Azure Crystal Divine Sand was borrowed as a last resort for self-preservation. Grandmother Tian Shi only lent it to me due to our deep connection, and I swore repeatedly to use it solely for survival. If anything were to go wrong, I’d have no way to explain it to her,” Venerable Mad Sand immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum, firmly rejecting the suggestion.
“But this cultivator’s artifacts and spirit beasts are all extraordinarily formidable. Without using this sand, we stand no chance against him. Are we to let all our previous efforts go to waste? Forget other things—that old demon’s Corpse Pearl is an incredibly rare treasure for refining the physical body, crucial for our breakthrough to the next realm!” True Monarch Tianfeng grew anxious.
“Hmph! The Corpse Pearl is important, but so is the Azure Crystal Divine Sand! This sand isn’t reusable—it’s a one-time consumable. Once used, my small portion will be gone. Even with my ties to Grandmother Tian Shi, getting a second batch is out of the question. Moreover, this man’s abilities are unfathomable. The Azure Crystal Sand might not even guarantee victory, and if it’s destroyed, we’ll be in even worse straits,” Venerable Mad Sand snorted, still refusing.
“But—” True Monarch Tianfeng, though seeing the logic in his words, couldn’t suppress his frustration and was about to press further when suddenly, a streak of firelight shot from the distance, circling above the sand mist before descending into it and landing in the yellow-robed man’s hand.
“This is…” The burly man held the message-conveying firelight in his palm, momentarily surprised before immersing his spiritual sense into it without hesitation.
Moments later, his expression darkened, and with a wave of his hand, the flame vanished without a trace.
“Let’s go. Even using the Azure Crystal Divine Sand now would be too late. The Seven Sons and Three Fiends—those useless fools—were breached by Lady Yu Hua’s corpse soldiers. She’s now leading a horde of high-level spirit corpses straight for us. If we don’t leave now, we’re in grave danger,” Venerable Mad Sand said coldly.
Hearing this, True Monarch Tianfeng was stunned, finally abandoning his last shred of hope and reluctantly agreeing.
Without delay, the two began casting spells. The black sand mist surged violently before coalescing into a dense mass and soaring into the sky, rolling away into the distance. From start to finish, the duo never showed themselves again.
Han Li stood atop the giant ape’s shoulder, his gaze cold as he watched their retreat.
His time was limited. Had they persisted, he would have had no choice but to deploy the Void Heaven Cauldron once more. The cauldron had previously absorbed the Heavenly Spirit Sand of the Heavenly Labyrinth Saintess, so dealing with this sand mist shouldn’t be an issue. However, the Void Heaven Cauldron was a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure, and though few in the Outer Star Seas would recognize it, he preferred not to reveal it unnecessarily. If someone happened to identify it, the ensuing trouble would be immense—even with his formidable power, peace would become a distant dream.
“Fellow Daoist’s abilities are truly extraordinary, even capable of countering the Soul-Severing Sand. This has broadened my horizons immensely. I must thank you for saving my life,” King Xuan Ye said, cupping his hands toward Han Li from within his corpse flames, not yet dispersing them despite the sand mist’s departure.
Han Li’s gaze shifted to the ten-thousand-year corpse king.
Though the sand mist had retreated swiftly, the corpse king’s condition was far from ideal. His spiritual energy had diminished by more than half compared to when he first revealed his true form. Evidently, expelling his innate corpse flames to resist the Soul-Severing Sand while severely injured had taken a heavy toll.
Han Li’s expression remained indifferent, his eyes devoid of emotion as they fixed on the old demon. King Xuan Ye, though no ordinary cultivator, couldn’t help but feel a chill after witnessing Han Li’s earlier display of power. He remained on high alert, wary of exchanging one threat for another.
The giant ape beneath Han Li, having remained motionless since the sand mist’s departure, suddenly stirred as it sensed the corpse king’s hostility. Its eyes locked onto King Xuan Ye, its face twisting into an eerily human-like expression of greed, its mouth smacking as if savoring a delectable meal.
This gaze sent shivers down the spine of the ancient emperor-turned-corpse king. Having seen the ape effortlessly absorb the Soul-Severing Sand, he knew its terror all too well. Moreover, he felt an innate dread toward it, suspecting it held some natural advantage over him. Suppressing his unease, he inwardly cursed his luck.
“Though my intervention was prompted by their actions, the fact remains that I saved your life. What exactly does this ‘great reward’ you mentioned entail? I’m quite curious,” Han Li said, his tone easing slightly as he broke the tension.
He was no righteous gentleman, and with the backlash of his killing intent growing increasingly severe, the sight of the heavily injured corpse king alone had inevitably stirred his murderous impulses.
Earlier, Han Li had scrutinized the corpse king, sensing a familiar corpse aura akin to that of the Diamond Barrier. Combined with the yellow-robed man’s address of “Brother Xuan Ye,” he had quickly pieced together the other’s identity.
This was none other than the ‘King Xuan Ye’ mentioned by Jin Yuan—a monarch-turned-corpse. That they’d crossed paths so soon was unexpected.
However, after forcibly clearing his mind with the Great Development Art, Han Li weighed the remaining duration of his seal, the likelihood of the corpse king possessing desperate techniques, and the fact that his Wind Lightning Wings and Cold Flames had already been revealed, eliminating the element of surprise. Even with the Soul Devouring Beast’s aid, subduing a ten-thousand-year corpse king in a short time was highly improbable.
Thus, after careful consideration, Han Li suppressed his killing intent. Still, having saved the other’s life, he saw no reason not to claim his due. Hence his blunt demand.
“Heh! I may not have much, but I’ve accumulated some spirit stones and materials over the years. If Fellow Daoist doesn’t mind, accompany me back, and I’ll ensure your satisfaction,” King Xuan Ye replied, forcing a smile as he sought to placate Han Li.
“No need for such trouble. That golden bead of yours caught my eye. Would you be willing to part with it?” Han Li said coolly, his gaze lingering on the other.
“You mean this?” The corpse king’s expression darkened, but after a glance at the still-watchful ape, he reluctantly opened his mouth and spat out the golden pearl.
Han Li nodded indifferently.
“This is the Corpse Pearl, a byproduct of cultivating the Heavenly Corpse Art, akin to a lifebound treasure for us corpse kings. It’s rarely revealed to outsiders. I suspect the two fiends from Fangjian Mountain came for it as well. However, this particular pearl is of no use to me—you may take it,” King Xuan Ye said with a strange smile, flicking his finger to send the pearl shooting toward Han Li.
Surprised but not hesitating, Han Li summoned a giant azure hand to snatch the pearl midair.
To his astonishment, the old demon hadn’t tampered with it. Encased in azure light, the pearl was unmistakably the same one the corpse king had used earlier.
Han Li had demanded it as a bargaining chip, but the other’s swift compliance only deepened his suspicion.
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