Chapter 1211: 化界珠 and Swift Wind Nine Transformations

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality

The last two waves of lightning strikes were just as Han Li had predicted. After he blocked most of their power with his silver shield, the Heavenly Leviathan ultimately withstood them with its demon core, narrowly escaping danger.

When the last lightning strike vanished, the dark clouds in the sky, which had appeared so eerily, suddenly gave way as sunlight burst forth from them. The dark clouds dispersed completely, leaving the sky clear for thousands of miles.

At that moment, the Heavenly Leviathan, still within the formation, was firmly enveloped by layers of grayish-white demonic energy, which solidified into a huge, yellowish cocoon. Its surface was still faintly pulsating.

Seeing this, Han Li's expression remained unchanged.

This demon beast, having undergone the lightning tribulation, was now reshaping its body, merely transforming into human form. This transformation, generally speaking, was not under the demon beast's own control. Instead, much like human birth, its appearance, whether ugly or beautiful, was determined by the transformation process itself. Of course, it also bore some relation to its species. After all, demon beasts like fox demons, if they could transform, usually became handsome men or beautiful women. However, for demon beasts whose original forms were ugly, their transformed human forms would naturally not be pleasing to the eye.

Han Li suddenly remembered something and turned his head to glance into the distance. He saw that the remains of the mutated giant earthworm had long been completely devoured by the Gold Devouring Beetles, truly leaving no trace of its corpse. The swarm of insects was currently hovering, buzzing, in the low air at its original spot. Without further thought, Han Li let out a long whistle. Instantly, a golden cloud of insects shot towards him. In a flash, the Gold Devouring Beetles were collected into his spirit beast pouch.

He then sat down cross-legged beside the formation, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for the Heavenly Leviathan's transformation within the formation to conclude.

As a result, Han Li sat there for an entire day and night.

When he stirred and opened his eyes again, a muffled "thump" suddenly came from within the enormous demon cocoon. An exceptionally fair and tender arm instantly broke through the surface of the cocoon, followed immediately by an unusually familiar childish voice from within:

"Finally, the great task is complete, Fellow Daoist Zou. You've truly worked hard."

Han Li smiled upon hearing this and slowly stood up.

Several days later, Han Li quietly returned to the Mother-and-Son Peaks of Cloud Dream Mountain. He was now in the secret chamber of his cave dwelling, toying with the golden horn in his hand, and three other magical artifacts, including a gourd, were placed before him. In the air opposite him, floated a large, greenish-blue cauldron, about a zhang in size. On top of the cauldron sat a yellow-robed boy with red lips and white teeth, holding a beast-skin book and continuously swaying his head as he read.

This figure was, of course, the Heavenly Leviathan, now capable of transforming into human form. Although its appearance was not exactly identical to the phantom it had previously manifested, it bore about seventy to eighty percent resemblance.

Upon closer thought, it didn't seem strange at all. The main body of this beast in the Spirit Realm had already undergone a transformation once, so it naturally had a clear idea of its transformed appearance. Hence, the phantom it had previously conjured and its current transformed appearance bore some resemblance.

Han Li gently traced the uneven patterns on the golden horn in his hand with his finger. After a moment, he suddenly spoke:

"I've tried it. This horn can absorb almost all types of spiritual energy into it, and also release it. The only drawback is that there's a limit to how much spiritual energy it can absorb at once, and the absorption speed is somewhat slow."

"Oh, as expected of material from a mutated demon beast. It actually possesses the rare talent of spiritual energy absorption. Materials with such miraculous effects are something countless cultivators in the Spirit Realm would go to great lengths to acquire. It's an excellent material for forging defensive treasures. Many famous defensive spirit treasures contain this very material." The boy put down the beast-skin book he was holding, lifted his small face, and gave Han Li a brilliant smile.

"Defensive artifact? Can it be used to forge battle armor?" Han Li asked, his heart stirring.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist is truly extraordinarily astute! If this material can be combined with the Fire Spirit Silk in your hand, it can indeed forge a rare battle armor. Even if it's not as good as a spirit treasure, it wouldn't be far off. However, if you listen to my advice, it's best not to do so." The boy spoke earnestly.

"Why? I'm currently lacking a good set of battle armor for protection." A hint of doubt flashed in Han Li's eyes.

"If Fellow Daoist only wishes to live out your days in the Human Realm, prioritizing safety, then forging battle armor is naturally the best choice. But if you still want to pass through a spatial node and sneak into the Spirit Realm, hehe, it's better to keep this material to forge another treasure instead." The boy said, his expression unchanged.

"What kind of treasure can be forged with it?" Han Li asked back, puzzled.

"Naturally, it's the Boundary-Breaking Bead. Only this item can greatly assist you in passing through a spatial node." The boy replied without hesitation.

"Boundary-Breaking Bead? If I remember correctly, when your spiritual avatar descended to the Human Realm, you used something called a Boundary-Breaking Stone. What's the connection between the two, or are they essentially the same thing?" After a moment of thought, Han Li asked with a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Given how similar their names are, they indeed have some connection. The Boundary-Breaking Stone is a consumable natural treasure unique to the Spirit Realm, while the Boundary-Breaking Bead is a treasure forged later that can be used multiple times. Although their functions are similar, their power differs vastly. To be more specific, the power of the Boundary-Breaking Bead is probably only about one percent of the former." The boy thought for a moment and replied seriously.

"One percent?" Han Li was speechless upon hearing that proportion.

"Fellow Daoist, don't underestimate the function of the Boundary-Breaking Bead just because of that. You must know that even demon kings in the Spirit Realm don't possess many Boundary-Breaking Stones, which are rare treasures. It's one of the three renowned Boundary-Breaking Treasures, on par with the Reversing Star Plate. Although the Boundary-Breaking Bead cannot compare to the former two, it is also renowned for breaking spatial restrictions. Because it requires spirit-absorbing materials to forge, its quantity is equally rare. When I was in the Spirit Realm, I once curiously entered a spatial node. Although I immediately returned, the spatial storms and terrifying inter-realm forces within still give me lingering fears to this day. Even if you cultivate the Eye of Destruction to its peak, the possibility of passing through is still minuscule. Otherwise, there would be countless cultivators from lower realms who had sneaked into the Spirit Realm by now. If you don't have a Boundary-Breaking Bead, don't harbor any thoughts of luck; you simply won't return. Originally, I intended to remind you of this after you advanced to the Soul Transformation Stage, but since you've now obtained spirit-absorbing material, I'll inform you of it casually." The boy said with a cold laugh.

"It seems this Boundary-Breaking Bead must be forged then." Han Li rubbed his nose, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"Hehe, if Fellow Daoist didn't already possess the Eye of Destruction, I wouldn't even bother mentioning this treasure. With both, you'll have a sliver of a chance to pass through a spatial node. Here's the method for forging this bead. Consider it me repaying the favor of your previous gift of Cold Marrow." The boy said indifferently.

"Fellow Daoist is quite clear about grudges and favors. But I'm also a bit curious. I once saw an eighth-level turtle demon undergo its tribulation, and its lightning tribulation seemed quite different from yours, Fellow Daoist Heavenly Leviathan. Your lightning tribulation seemed more than just a little bit more powerful." Han Li changed the subject, unexpectedly bringing up the previous tribulation.

"What's so strange about that? Our demon beast species are not all the same; the lightning tribulations they experience naturally differ greatly. The more formidable the origins of a heaven-and-earth spirit beast, the more difficult its tribulation will be. It's said that spirit beasts of the true dragon or spirit phoenix level, when undergoing their transformation lightning tribulation, have to endure thirteen waves of lightning strikes. I only experienced eleven waves, which is already considered quite good." The boy didn't hide anything, stating it frankly.

"So that's how it is!" Han Li had a moment of realization.

"This demon race cultivation technique of yours, the Nine Transformations of Gale, is quite interesting. But what is your intention in showing it to me? Could it be that Fellow Daoist is still interested in our demon race cultivation techniques?" The boy raised the beast-skin book in his hand with one hand, gazed at Han Li, and asked with a half-smile.

It turned out that the book in the boy's hand was the very beast-skin book Han Li had obtained from Xiao Cuier's grandparents back then. It contained an unnamed Qi-gathering chant and another set of demon race cultivation techniques written in demon script. After Han Li learned the demon script back then, he discovered that this set of techniques called "Nine Transformations of Gale," although powerful, was specifically designed for avian demon cultivators. Unless one naturally possessed wings and the formidable body of a demon race, it would be impossible to cultivate or employ it.

But now, for some unknown reason, Han Li had handed this cultivation technique to the boy for him to study.

"It's nothing. The Nine Transformations of Gale technique is quite powerful, and now that I have the Wind Thunder Wings, I lack a specific set of matching cultivation techniques. This technique primarily focuses on movement and transformations, which is perfectly suited for my current cultivation. It would be a waste to discard it. Fellow Daoist Heavenly Leviathan is also a demon cultivator, so I presume making slight modifications to this technique to make it suitable for my cultivation shouldn't be a big problem, right? In exchange, I can let Fellow Daoist take that incomplete page of the Golden Palace Jade Book to study first. Although this item is good, it's too profound for me to attend to it at the moment." Han Li said slowly.

"For human realm demon cultivators, this set of techniques is considered a rare movement chant. For you, possessing the Wind Thunder Wings, it is indeed a very good match. However, there's a problem, which you should be well aware of. To unleash the divine abilities described within, it must be based on our demon race's formidable physique. Although you've cultivated some body-refining techniques and your body is far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, you are still a bit short of the level required to cultivate this technique." The boy frowned, pointing out the crucial point directly.

"If it's just a small difference, I don't think I can't overcome it. I once obtained a set of 'Ming King Art' from a Buddhist sect, where each cultivated layer significantly strengthens the physique compared to before. I have already cultivated it to the second layer. I presume that once I cultivate it to the third layer, it will be sufficient to meet the requirements of the 'Nine Transformations of Gale'." Han Li pondered for a moment before replying, as if he had already thoroughly considered this matter.

"'Ming King Art'? A Buddhist cultivation technique?" The boy's expression froze, revealing a hint of surprise.

"What's wrong? Is there something amiss with Buddhist cultivation techniques?" Han Li raised an eyebrow.

"How many layers does this technique of yours have?" The boy counter-questioned.

"Seven layers." Han Li replied truthfully, though he was puzzled inside.

"What a coincidence then. Conveniently, I also know a body-refining technique from a Buddhist sect, which also has seven layers!" The boy suddenly smiled mysteriously.