“Hmph! Humans are all cunning and deceitful creatures. No matter where you’ve seen me before, it’s best you refrain from playing clever tricks in the future!” The Flood Dragon had been toying with a large, gleaming pearl, but with a sudden clench of its five fingers, the pearl instantly turned to powder. A flash of ferocity crossed its face.
Han Li felt a chill in his heart, but on the surface, he forced a bitter smile and said nothing.
“Alright, Fellow Daoist Li has now made the acquaintance of both my esteemed brothers. I truly wish to enlist the strength of all three Fellow Daoists. If any one of you were missing, I, Feng Xi, would be extremely troubled.” Seeing the tense atmosphere, Feng Xi hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, then gestured for Han Li to take a seat on the other side of the table, slightly farther from the two opposite him.
“Brother Feng, we’ve known each other for some years now. What matter is so mysterious that you still haven’t given me the full picture? And you even need the help of a human cultivator. What use could a mere Core Formation cultivator possibly be?” The Flood Dragon downed a large cup of wine in one gulp and spoke with a careless tone.
“Indeed, I’m also quite curious why you insisted both of us come. Could it be that Brother Feng’s matter involves some danger?” The green-faced turtle demon with a large, hard shell on its back also frowned, showing a trace of doubt. Despite its imposing stature, this one seemed rather cautious.
“Fellow Daoist Gui, there’s no need to worry. I’ve invited the two of you here not to deal with some enemy, nor to venture into any dangerous place. I merely wish to ask my two esteemed brothers to assist me in refining a certain treasure.” Feng Xi laughed lightly and waved his hand dismissively.
“Refining a treasure?” The turtle demon and the Flood Dragon stared blankly for a moment, then exchanged puzzled glances. Han Li, listening nearby, was equally astonished, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
“Indeed, I intend to refine a treasure tailored specifically for myself.” Feng Xi spoke slowly, a faint trace of fervor appearing on his face.
“Did I hear correctly? Brother Feng wants to refine an external treasure? Have you forgotten that for us demon cultivators, our bodies are the finest treasures? What material could be more suitable for refining and strengthening than our own demon bodies?” The Flood Dragon shook its head, expressing disbelief as it tried to dissuade him.
“Brother Jiao is absolutely right. No treasure’s power can compare to the innate talents of us demon cultivators. Rather than wasting time on external objects, it’s better to focus on cultivating our innate abilities. For instance, Brother Jiao’s Flood Dragon Spirit Body naturally grasps all water-attribute techniques almost instinctively; with a little cultivation, it surpasses other races a hundredfold. Brother Feng’s Spirit Bird Body grants exceptional wind-attribute aptitude; cultivating your Wind-Fire Wings to their peak would allow you to traverse tens of thousands of miles in an instant, roaming the four seas freely. As for my Mystic Turtle Body, though not as formidable as yours, if I cultivate this shell to a spirit-enlightened, divinity-transformed state, it could truly be called an indestructible diamond body. Why should we imitate humans by refining treasures?” The turtle demon nodded repeatedly in agreement, offering similar advice.
Hearing this, Feng Xi wasn’t angered but instead laughed heartily.
“How could I, after cultivating for so many years, not know the truth in what you both say? But the treasure I wish to refine is something different—it’s a pair of spirit wings. However, these won’t be Wind-Fire Wings, but Wind-Thunder Wings! With this second pair of spirit wings to complement me, I am confident that there will be no place under heaven I cannot go!” This Level Nine Gale Beast suppressed his excitement as he spoke words that shocked the two demons before him.
“Wind-Thunder Wings!” The turtle demon blinked, utterly bewildered.
Exactly. Some years ago, while I was traveling and cultivating in the deep sea, I discovered the remains of an ancient giant bird in the ruins of an old cultivator’s site. Though only a silver skeleton remained, the pair of residual bone wings still contained astonishing thunder power—it was the skeleton of a Thunder Roc that had reached the end of its transformation period. As you know, the flight speed of a Thunder Roc, one of heaven and earth’s spirit birds, ranks among the top ten of all high-level spirit bird demons. Its thunder-based flight is nearly as fast as lightning and fire—our Gale Clan admits we are far inferior. So, on a sudden inspiration, I brought these bone wings back to my cave abode, intending to use them, along with other spirit bird wing materials, to attach these thunder wings to my body, much like how humans craft treasures.” As he spoke, Feng Xi’s eyes shone brightly, as if he could no longer contain his excitement.
“After refinement, these wings naturally won’t be purely thunder-attribute; I’ll need to incorporate some wind-attribute spiritual power to make them easier for me to control,” he added.
“Will this really work?” The Flood Dragon’s face showed a mix of belief and doubt, as if still somewhat skeptical.
The turtle demon sitting beside him also had eyes full of suspicion.
“Rest assured, I’ve spent years researching these wings. I even went so far as to alter my appearance and venture among human cultivators to acquire numerous texts on artifact refining. I had several human cultivators teach me the relevant knowledge. Then, combining it with our Gale Clan’s method of cultivating Wind-Fire Wings, I developed this treasure-refining plan. I won’t claim a hundred percent certainty, but I’d say there’s at least a seventy to eighty percent chance of success. Of course, I won’t let my two esteemed brothers exert their efforts for nothing. Whether the treasure is successfully refined or not, I…” The Gale Beast Feng Xi spoke with full confidence but suddenly fell silent, his lips moving slightly as he switched to mental transmission, seemingly unwilling to let Han Li overhear their discussion.
Han Li sat steadily, appearing indifferent and maintaining a calm expression.
However, his hands under the table had unknowingly clenched together, revealing that his inner state was not as tranquil as it seemed.
Han Li knew that the terms these three demons were discussing might very well be unfavorable to him. But he was well aware that in the presence of these three demon cultivators, he had no right to speak. He could only remain silent, secretly pondering his countermeasures.
“Very well, since Brother Feng has laid everything out, we will assist you to the best of our abilities.” After a moment of contemplation and a brief discussion with the turtle demon, the Flood Dragon finally agreed.
Hearing this, Feng Xi was naturally overjoyed.
“With the earth-attribute techniques of my two esteemed brothers, we can use a formation during refinement to temporarily fuse thunder-attribute spiritual power. Combined with my wind-attribute techniques, we’ll have both wind and thunder forces. However, to balance these two powers, we’ll ultimately need Fellow Daoist Li’s wood-attribute techniques to neutralize their subtle differences. This way, there’s hope for successfully refining the Wind-Thunder Wings!” Feng Xi chuckled with considerable confidence.
But as his gaze shifted and he saw Han Li sitting there in silence, he seemed to remember something. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, and he said to Han Li with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Li, I forgot to mention earlier: the Green Flame Wine you drank can help cultivators break through bottlenecks and enhance cultivation. However, this wine was originally prepared for us demon cultivators. If a human drinks it for about a year, a trace of chaotic evil energy will accumulate within their body. Though it may seem harmless now, soon this evil energy will spread, causing your true essence to become muddled and eventually leading to a self-detonation of spiritual power.”
After saying this, the Level Nine Gale Beast immediately fell silent, coldly staring at Han Li without another word. Han Li merely frowned slightly, sighed softly, and showed no signs of panic or anger.
“Just tell me directly, Brother Feng, what I must do for you to help me eliminate this evil energy. I suppose I must wait until the treasure is successfully refined before I have any chance of survival?” Han Li asked slowly, his expression extremely calm.
This reaction caused a flicker of surprise in Feng Xi’s eyes, while the Flood Dragon and turtle demon also showed interested expressions.
“Heh, Fellow Daoist Li is a clever man. Since you already understand, I won’t say more. Once my Wind-Thunder Wings are successfully refined, I will naturally resolve this problem for you. If we fail, you will be the first sacrifice for me to vent my anger upon. And don’t think you can resolve this on your own—even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were willing to help you, they still couldn’t eradicate the chaotic evil energy from my Green Flame Wine.” Feng Xi’s mouth curved slightly as he uttered these icy words, his face devoid of expression.
“I know what I must do.” Han Li nodded slightly, finally allowing a trace of a bitter smile to appear on his face. But inwardly, he left unspoken the thought that likely, by the time the treasure was completed, his life would also be forfeit.
Just as Han Li was feeling utterly helpless, the three demon cultivators began chatting casually at the jade table.
“I heard that Brother Jiao’s Flood Dragon Clan also participated in the attack on human cultivators at Ten-Thousand Zhang Deep Sea. Is that true? I thought the Flood Dragon Clan usually didn’t involve themselves in such matters.” Seemingly in good spirits now that the treasure seemed feasible, the Gale Beast casually asked the Flood Dragon.
“Hmph! Indeed, some high-level demon cultivators from our clan did take action this time. Otherwise, how could those worthless creatures from Ten-Thousand Zhang Deep Sea have so easily broken the enemy’s city? Even if they could breach the city, they certainly couldn’t have killed two Nascent Soul cultivators.” The Flood Dragon showed no intention of hiding this, speaking openly in front of Han Li.
Even Han Li, who usually kept his emotions well hidden, couldn’t help but slightly change expression upon hearing this.
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