In the bloody glow, the ghastly crimson eyes of the Profound Bone Old Devil rolled a few times before the light gradually faded.
“Good, the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng is indeed still here. The faint traces of its pure spiritual energy can still be vaguely seen on the surface of the stone mountain,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said calmly after his eyes returned to normal.
Hearing the old devil’s words, Han Li felt a stir in his heart. He channeled spiritual power into his eyes and carefully examined the small mountain as well. However, the result disappointed him—he found nothing unusual about the mountain.
Seeing the faint green glow in Han Li’s eyes, the Profound Bone Old Devil naturally knew what he was trying to do. He sneered disdainfully and said with a tone of mockery, “Don’t even think about being able to see the pure spiritual energy of the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng. Only a cultivator with sufficiently powerful divine sense can do that—at the very least, one must have formed a Nascent Soul to possess such ability. Although I have turned to ghost cultivation, my originally powerful divine sense remains completely intact.”
Han Li’s face showed no expression, but prompted by the other’s unintentional reminder, he slowly activated the Great Development Art within his body.
A moment later, Han Li felt a surge of joy in his heart, as his eyes finally caught faint traces of green light scattered chaotically across the stone mountain below—so faint they were almost imperceptible.
“Fortunately, before coming here, I had already considered capturing the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng along the way, so I prepared some special items on a small island I passed. Now, I’ll set up a trap to make the spirit ginseng jump in on its own, making it easy to capture,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said indifferently, unaware that Han Li could also see the pure spiritual energy. He then reached into his storage pouch and produced a golden object, holding it in his palm.
“What is this?” Han Li asked, somewhat taken aback.
It was a golden silk ball the size of an egg, emitting a faint glow, clearly specially refined.
Seeing the confusion on Han Li’s face, the Profound Bone Old Devil let out a cold laugh. He gripped the ball tightly, and a black light flashed over his hand. A thin golden thread shot out from the ball, growing longer and longer, rapidly crisscrossing before his eyes and weaving into a small, exquisite golden net about the size of a palm, shimmering brilliantly.
“Only pure gold can capture the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng. It can evade any other magical tool or artifact. Take this and use it to catch the spirit ginseng when it tries to escape,” the Profound Bone Old Devil instructed Han Li solemnly, his eyes fixed on him.
After hearing this, Han Li raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and without a word, beckoned to the golden net. With a “whoosh,” the net flew into his hand, and he stored it in his storage pouch without a second glance.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on the Profound Bone Old Devil’s face. He flipped his hand and produced four small yellow flags. The flags were covered in layers of talismanic patterns, with a faint glow shimmering across them.
“Eh!” Given Han Li’s current proficiency in formation techniques, he was initially startled upon seeing the flags. After a moment of contemplation, however, he showed an expression of disbelief.
“What? Brother Han recognizes these flags?” the Profound Bone Old Devil asked, somewhat surprised by Han Li’s reaction.
Han Li did not answer immediately but stared intently at the flags for a while before looking up and saying gravely, “Could these be the formation tools for the Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation? Aside from this ancient formation, I can’t think of any other formation that uses just four small flags to create a major earth-attribute array.”
“I didn’t expect you to be well-versed in formation techniques. It seems I made the right choice in seeking your help. Indeed, these are the Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation flags I refined along the way. Only this formation can restrict the rocks and soil within a several dozen zhang radius, turning them as hard as iron to trap the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng. Since you understand formation techniques, I’ll leave the setup to you. I’ll go investigate the spirit ginseng’s exact whereabouts,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he returned to his usual composure.
He then handed the four yellow flags to Han Li without hesitation and transformed into a shadowy cloud, silently flying toward the small mountain.
Han Li glanced at the formation flags in his hand, then at the old devil’s retreating figure, a strange glint in his eyes. After licking his lips, he let out a cold laugh and flew toward another area below.
Meanwhile, from within the departing Profound Bone Old Devil, the voice of the deep-toned man echoed.
“Profound Bone, what do you mean by handing the formation flags to him? I don’t see your relationship being that close. Are you plotting something?” the man asked, seeming to know the Profound Bone Old Devil well.
“What do I mean? By having that Han kid set up the formation himself, he’ll feel secure entering it to capture the spirit ginseng. Meanwhile, I’ll take the opportunity to eliminate him,” the Profound Bone Old Devil replied grimly, his voice icy.
“Eliminate him now? Am I hearing correctly? I thought you’d at least wait until after dealing with Ji Yin before turning on him!” the deep-toned man exclaimed in surprise.
“No, this Han kid is too cunning. The longer we wait, the more likely something will go wrong. Besides, he definitely has his own agenda, and I’m not confident I can control him. What if he suddenly betrays me to that traitor Ji Yin? That would be disastrous. Although the possibility is low, I, Profound Bone, will not take any more risks. After being betrayed once, I vowed never to trust anyone lightly again. And besides…” the Profound Bone Old Devil said coldly.
“And besides, you never intended to hand the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng over to him from the start!” the man added lazily.
“Exactly! I’ve put so much effort into capturing this spirit creature. How could I willingly hand it over to someone else? Even if it doesn’t enhance our cultivation, we can still use it to trade for other valuable items. Moreover, this kid possesses Golden Lightning Bamboo treasures. Sooner or later, he’ll become a major enemy to us ghost cultivators. It’s better to eliminate him early. And… what do you think of this Han kid’s physical body?” the Profound Bone Old Devil asked with a sinister expression, suddenly changing the subject.
The man was first startled, then extremely excited.
“You’re going to help me seize his body? That’s wonderful! But what about Ji Yin? Aren’t you planning to deal with him anymore?” the man asked, somewhat hesitant.
“I personally taught Ji Yin the Profound Yin Art, and I left fatal flaws in the technique from the very beginning. Once he’s isolated, the two of us, with you in a physical body, will be more than enough to finish him off,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said with great confidence.
“You should have done this long ago! But did you plan to eliminate Han from the very beginning? If so, deliberately seeking his cooperation is truly cunning!” the man expressed great admiration for the Profound Bone Old Devil’s scheming.
“You overestimate me. Before meeting you, I genuinely intended to join forces with him to deal with Ji Yin. After all, even though I know the flaws in that traitor’s technique, having an extra ally would have increased our chances. But now that I’ve met you, an old acquaintance, I no longer need him. It’s better to eliminate him early to avoid future troubles,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said indifferently.
“You really know how to act! Your anxious expression back at the Jade Pavilion made me think you desperately needed his help. I never imagined you had already planned to kill him,” the man sighed, his voice tinged with complexity.
“Hmph! My anxiety was real, but it wasn’t about him failing to help me seek revenge. It was about his Golden Lightning Bamboo flying swords falling into someone else’s hands. That would be equally disastrous for us ghost cultivators,” the Profound Bone Old Devil snorted coldly.
“Since you know he possesses Golden Lightning Bamboo treasures, how dare you act so recklessly? Are you really that confident?” the man asked after a moment of silence, sounding concerned. This concerned his own future, so he needed to ask in detail.
By now, the Profound Bone Old Devil was circling at a low altitude above the stone mountain.
“Originally, I planned to trap him inside the Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation while he used the golden net to capture the spirit ginseng. But I didn’t expect him to be proficient in formation techniques as well. So I seized the opportunity to hand the formation flags to him. In doing so, my plan has actually become more perfect,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said with a mysterious smile, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
“Did you tamper with the formation flags?” the man asked, beginning to understand.
“Hehe! You’ll find out when the time comes. For now, let’s focus on finding the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng. Otherwise, that kid won’t take the bait,” the Profound Bone Old Devil said evasively.
The man let out a light hum, clearly displeased.
“Speaking of which, you were the one who taught me this ghost cultivation technique! I originally intended to use it to search for the spirit ginseng, but after being betrayed by that traitor, it ended up becoming my lifeline!” the Profound Bone Old Devil said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
“It wasn’t really teaching—more like a mutual exchange,” the man replied somewhat nostalgically.
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