Chapter 1061: Sacred Beast Seal

"What do you wish to ask?" The face on the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock glanced at Lin Yinping, held in the Human Spirit's hand, hesitated, and then replied with a bitter smile.

"Hearing your tone, it seems the Gold Devouring Beetle's final transformation into its mature form isn't achieved solely through its own evolution. This is quite strange. To my knowledge, this unique insect was notorious in ancient times. It appeared in the cultivation world in its mature form without any master, and its ability to devour everything and its near-indestructible nature made it a dreaded topic for a long time back then. Your Heavenly Azure Sacred Hall's Gold Devouring Beetles must have also come from ancient insect eggs to be able to control them, right?" Han Li swayed a few times before returning to Gui Ling's side. He gazed at the phantom face and spoke calmly. Meanwhile, the humanoid puppet's body shimmered with silver light, blurred, and vanished from its spot.

"If following conventional methods, it would take tens of thousands of years for the Gold Devouring Beetles to naturally evolve into their mature form. But how long is the lifespan of us cultivators? Even if passed down through generations, very few families or sects could persevere for such a long time. Especially when the Gold Devouring Beetles are close to their final stage of evolution, the immense duration of the process discourages further cultivation. Since you also control these insects, you should be well aware of the vast difference between the mature and immature forms. To call it a world of difference would be no exaggeration," the young man surnamed Xu said in a deep voice.

"Your words are somewhat true. My Gold Devouring Beetles have reached their current stage of evolution, with almost no growth in recent years. For your Heavenly Azure Grassland to be able to cultivate mature Gold Devouring Beetles, there must indeed be some secret. I wonder how much your method can shorten the evolution time for the mature form?" Han Li exhaled and asked indifferently.

"It can be shortened by a third. Furthermore, if you're willing to spare some rare materials and focus on cultivating only a few of them, the time can be reduced even further," the young man surnamed Xu replied without hesitation.

"A third, that's certainly worth the effort. But how do you intend to tell me the secret, and aren't you afraid that once I obtain it, you'll be even less able to contend with me?" Han Li suddenly chuckled.

"You jest. I've heard of your Gold Devouring Beetle swarm, Brother Han. Although your swarm has reached its final stage, it clearly hasn't begun evolving into its mature form. Even if you obtain our cultivation secret, you won't succeed without thousands of years of dedicated cultivation. As for matters thousands of years from now, that's hardly something you or I need to worry about," the young man surnamed Xu said directly, not hiding his thoughts.

"You speak frankly. Indeed, whether these Gold Devouring Beetles will still be in the hands of my descendants thousands of years from now is uncertain. Moreover, your esteemed Hall, knowing about this, might have already found countermeasures," Han Li's lips curved, revealing a half-smile.

"If you think that way, you're not wrong. What, you no longer desire this secret technique? If it's other conditions, I can also..."

"Yes. Why wouldn't I? Even if I can't cultivate a mature form in my lifetime, there's always something to learn from it. I've always been quite interested in cultivating spirit insects," Han Li licked his lips and said, folding his arms.

"Alright. Please wait a moment. I will copy this secret into a jade slip. You've also cultivated these insects for many years, so you should be able to discern its authenticity at a glance." The phantom face of the young man surnamed Xu showed a hint of surprise as he spoke, but he had no intention of backing out.

Immediately, a white light flashed. The face merged back into the body of the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock.

Han Li smiled faintly. Taking this opportunity, his gaze shifted to the distant palace.

After the three monstrous beings entered, the palace remained silent, as if still empty.

Seeing this strange situation, Han Li frowned and transmitted a few questions to Gui Ling.

The ugly woman was startled at first upon hearing this, but immediately transmitted a reply.

Han Li nodded, and his expression turned grim.

"Alright, Brother Han, catch." The spirit bird opposite suddenly opened its mouth, and a white beam shot out.

Han Li's eyes lit up. He flicked his sleeve, and a sheet of azure light swept out, drawing the object into his hand.

The white light receded, revealing a palm-sized white jade slip.

Han Li didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the object with one hand and gently placed it on his forehead, immersing his divine sense within it.

His expression began calm, but gradually showed surprise, then a hint of realization.

It seemed he could comprehend the cultivation method within the jade slip almost instantly.

After a full quarter of an hour, Han Li finally withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip. He exhaled softly, looked up at the opposite side, and suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Xu, I wonder which esteemed expert of your Tuwu Clan created this method for cultivating Gold Devouring Beetles? I am truly somewhat impressed. To conceive of a method using infusion and the power of heaven and earth to forcibly infuse the Five Elements spirit energy into the spirit insects to accelerate their maturation—such a method is not something an ordinary person could devise. Even if one could conceive it, they would likely have to expend a great deal of effort in countless trials, undoubtedly failing many times!"

"Ever since the Sacred Hall obtained the Gold Devouring Beetle eggs, an elder proficient in insect manipulation techniques has specifically studied methods for accelerating the maturation of these spirit insects. It took over a thousand years of effort to finally devise this feasible method. Unfortunately, we still cannot resolve the issue of scarce insect eggs, and the auxiliary materials required are also exceedingly rare, making it impossible to accelerate the maturation of these insects on a large scale," the young man replied helplessly.

Han Li nodded upon hearing this, not surprised. If not for his mysterious small bottle and the discovery of the Neishang Grass's miraculous effects, he likely wouldn't have been able to repeatedly accelerate the generation and evolution of so many Gold Devouring Beetles.

"Alright, I've rescued both of you, and you've given me the cultivation method. Our previous transaction is complete. Now, Brother Xu, do you intend to self-disintegrate your body, allowing me to release your soul for reincarnation? Or shall I personally act and turn both your host spirit bird and nascent soul into ashes?" Han Li's expression suddenly darkened as he stared at the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock opposite him, a menacing aura appearing on his face.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a clap of thunder erupted behind him, and silver-white wings flashed into existence. He clenched both fists simultaneously, causing a tremendous rumbling sound as a layer of golden lightning armor appeared all over his body, with golden arcs wildly flickering, creating an incredibly imposing display.

Almost simultaneously, behind the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, a faint silver light shimmered, and the humanoid puppet silently materialized. Red light pulsed in its hand, and a small bow emitted a brilliant emerald glow, aimed directly at the spirit bird.

The Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock trembled with fear. It spread its wings, and instantly a layer of five-colored spiritual light enveloped it protectively. Then, it opened its mouth, and a cluster of yellow light spurted out—it was the Nascent Soul of the young man surnamed Xu, which shot out and landed on the spirit bird's head in an instant, then looked at Han Li with a few bitter smiles.

"Fellow Daoist, please stop. You and our Heavenly Azure Sacred Hall haven't reached a point of irreconcilable conflict. We can absolutely reconcile and join hands. Even if you truly aren't afraid of being pursued by the other three Grand Immortal Masters, would you not consider your own sect and descendants?"

"Are you trying to force me to annihilate all your Grand Immortal Masters within my lifetime?" Han Li's expression shifted upon hearing this, but he immediately spoke grimly.

"Brother Han, why must it be so? Previously, the Saintess and I pursued you because our cultivation world inherently respects the strong. As a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, you managed to kill and injure so many high-level Immortal Masters on our grassland, so naturally, our Sacred Hall had to capture you. Later, you also took away the sacred beast avatar, which was an even greater taboo for our Sacred Hall, forcing us to pursue you all the way to Da Jin. But now it's different. You can command two late-stage cultivators, and your abilities are no less than those of a Grand Immortal Master. You now have the qualifications to stand as equals with our Heavenly Azure Sacred Hall, and we don't wish for a mutually destructive outcome with you, so reconciliation is naturally preferable. Moreover, Kunwu Mountain is exceptionally dangerous; it would be easier for both of us to protect ourselves if we cooperate." The young man surnamed Xu felt a slight ease in his heart when he saw Han Li didn't immediately interrupt him. He quickly spoke everything he had prepared in one breath.

"Are you finished?" Han Li listened calmly to the young man surnamed Xu's words, then asked expressionlessly.

"What, Fellow Daoist, do you believe what I've said is true?" Seeing Han Li's expression, the young man surnamed Xu's heart sank, and he asked cautiously.

"Stopping isn't impossible. But what method will you use to make me believe your sincerity in reconciling with me? Just a few words, or some verbal vows?" Han Li sneered, a hint of mockery on his face.

"Of course not! Our Sacred Hall's Saintess is here and can use a secret technique to summon the true spirit of the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast, implanting the Sacred Beast Seal for you. We invite you to become an honored elder of our Heavenly Azure Sacred Hall. This way, as long as you return the sacred beast avatar to us, allowing us to explain ourselves to others upon our return, the Sacred Hall will no longer be able to harm its own people," the young man surnamed Xu quickly stated.

"The Sacred Beast Seal... I did hear something about it when I passed through the grassland. I heard that those implanted with this mark are among the Sacred Hall's core members, and they cannot harbor intentions of killing each other. Otherwise, the mark will activate afterwards, afflicting them with an extremely strange curse, causing their divine sense to throb with unbearable pain for years, making life worse than death," Han Li said, somewhat surprised, after a moment of contemplation.

"It's good that Fellow Daoist Han knows about this. We and Brother Han haven't reached a point of life-and-death enmity; the main reason for our conflict was the capture of the sacred beast avatar. As for the Immortal Masters who died or were injured, compared to Brother Han's current strength, those are trivial matters," the Nascent Soul of the young man surnamed Xu, seeing Han Li somewhat swayed, continued to persuade him earnestly.

Han Li, however, furrowed his brows, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

At this moment, the Nascent Soul of the young man surnamed Xu wisely fell silent, quietly awaiting Han Li's decision. However, a hint of unease flickered in his brows.

He knew very well that if Han Li truly intended to annihilate them, with the combined power of the people present, a mere Nascent Soul would have no chance of escape. Their very lives hung on the opponent's single thought.

Therefore, even though he was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, his heart was now in turmoil, as if walking on thin ice.