Chapter 1537: Bamboo Leaves

**Volume Seven: Traversing the Human World – Volume Nine: Myriad Races of the Spirit Realm**

"Senior, are you so certain that I definitely have Golden Lightning Bamboo materials?" Han Li asked slowly, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Of course, I cannot be certain. However, Fellow Daoist Han was able to refine seventy-two Golden Lightning Bamboo flying swords at once, suggesting a high probability of having surplus Golden Lightning Bamboo. That's why I brought it up," the elder named Jiang transmitted calmly.

"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Senior. I don't have any extra Golden Lightning Bamboo. What I obtained by chance back then was just enough to refine those seventy-two flying swords," Han Li replied, exhaling a long breath.

"None?" The old man frowned, seemingly surprised.

"That's right. I very much desire your new sword art and the method to re-refine the flying swords, but I am willing but unable," Han Li said with a wry smile.

What he said was entirely true.

Although he possessed the mysterious small bottle and the Golden Lightning Bamboo spiritual root.

However, for many years, the Demon-Slaying Divine Lightning contained within his seventy-two flying swords had always been sufficient for his needs, and there were countless other uses for the mysterious small bottle!

Over these many years, he hadn't cultivated any additional Golden Lightning Bamboo. Now, with the elder named Jiang suddenly proposing a trade for Golden Lightning Bamboo, even though he was greatly tempted, he could only refuse.

The old man gazed at Han Li for a while. Seeing no falsehood in Han Li's candid expression, he said calmly:

"If you don't have Golden Lightning Bamboo, then I cannot give you my sword art. By the way, when you collected the Golden Lightning Bamboo back then, you should have also obtained quite a few Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves, correct?"

The old man seemed to recall something, finally mentioning the Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves.

"Indeed, I collected many of those. They are very peculiar, neither gold nor wood. I never found out their purpose, but they didn't seem like ordinary items, so I kept them all carefully," Han Li replied honestly, startled for a moment.

"All of them! Good, very good. If you don't have Golden Lightning Bamboo, you can give me these Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves, and I can still impart the sword art and the refinement method to you. However, I won't be able to personally help you refine your flying swords. Are you willing?" The old man asked, a hint of joy in his eyes.

"Of course I am!" Han Li said without hesitation.

Although he knew these Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves must have some other wondrous use, otherwise the other party wouldn't ask for them, for him, trading something whose purpose he didn't know for such a great benefit was naturally something he was more than willing to do.

Han Li swept his hand across his storage bracelet, and instantly, a faint green light flickered as two light green wooden boxes appeared in his hand.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the wooden boxes towards the opposite side.

The old man didn't move a muscle, but a strange glint flashed in his eyes. As the two wooden boxes reached him, they strangely stopped mid-air.

Then, with two soft "puffs," the lids of the boxes opened by themselves amidst a white glow, revealing stacks of golden-yellow bamboo leaves inside, as if crafted from pure gold.

"Excellent, they are indeed Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves." After a quick glance into the boxes, the old man instantly verified their authenticity, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

He flicked his sleeve, and the two wooden boxes closed their lids and vanished into thin air.

Next, with a flick of his finger, a white light shot directly towards Han Li.

Han Li grabbed it with one hand, and the white light settled into his palm, revealing a misty white jade slip.

"I've already inputted the new sword art and the refinement method into it. You can take a look first, lest you say I tricked you," the old man said with a smile.

"How could I dare, Senior!" Han Li replied, tucking the jade slip into his robe without even looking at it.

The old man nodded at this.

"I've given you the leaves, Senior. Could you please tell me what their purpose is? It would broaden my horizons!" Han Li couldn't help but ask.

"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Han, do you still have some bamboo leaves left? Don't worry, these leaves are enough for me. I won't bother you for the portion you kept. Few among the human race know this, but it's common knowledge among the Changyuan race, so there's no harm in telling you. These Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves have two uses. One is for refining a divine thunder called 'Golden Adamant Demon-Slaying Thunder,' which is even more powerful than the Demon-Slaying Divine Lightning when dealing with demonic creatures. It's a crucial weapon for us cultivators who have entered the Mahayana stage, used to combat Outer-realm Heavenly Devils. The other use is that these bamboo leaves can be fed to certain spirit insects, with a high chance of causing them to mutate. Of course, this requires consuming a considerable amount of Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves." The old man saw his eagerness and told Han Li everything without any reservation.

"Outer-realm Heavenly Devils? What are those?" Han Li asked, somewhat puzzled.

"How should I explain Outer-realm Heavenly Devils? They're somewhat similar to our cultivators' heavenly tribulations, but the heavenly tribulations of Spirit Realm cultivators are generally fixed and occur at regular intervals. Outer-realm Heavenly Devils, however, are a type of demonic attack that every cultivator who enters the Mahayana stage can potentially face at any time. They are formless and colorless, like inner demons, but a hundred times more formidable. Generally, these Heavenly Devils are most likely to appear when our Mahayana cultivators' magic power is weak or their mental state is unstable. If we fail to resist them, our physical bodies will collapse, and our souls and primordial spirits will be corrupted, turning us into one of them. I wanted the Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves precisely to refine some Golden Adamant Demon-Slaying Thunder, to protect against these Heavenly Devil disturbances after I've passed my tribulation." The old man, having fulfilled two wishes in a single day, was in high spirits and spoke at length.

A thoughtful expression crossed Han Li's face. His heart stirred, especially when he heard that the Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves could cause spirit insects to mutate.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Han, do you plan to reside here permanently?" The old man suddenly stopped transmitting his voice and asked in a normal tone.

"The yin energy here is too strong; it's not suitable for my long-term cultivation. Furthermore, I have some matters to attend to outside, so I cannot stay here much longer," Han Li replied truthfully after a moment of hesitation.

Upon hearing Han Li's words, Yuan Yao's face turned pale, but she instantly recovered her composure.

Except for Yan Li, who was standing right next to her, no one else noticed this subtle change in her expression.

Yan Li's eyes flickered, and a strange expression appeared at the corner of her mouth, but she immediately hid it as well.

"Oh, if that's the case. Have you found a way to leave this space?" The elder named Jiang looked at Han Li with a half-smile.

"I haven't found it yet!" Han Li said awkwardly, rubbing his nose.

"Haha, then you don't need to search. While I might be powerless regarding entry into this space, there is indeed a way to leave. Otherwise, how could I reside so comfortably in this Mayfly tribe's sacred land? In a few days, I will personally cast a spell to send you away." The old man chuckled.

"Thank you very much, Senior!" Han Li was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Don't thank me just yet. What I'm doing isn't free; I have another transaction to make with you," the old man's transmitted voice reached Han Li again before the joyful expression on his face had even faded.

"Another transaction!" Han Li was stunned.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in the Nether River Divine Milk?" the old man asked, his voice suddenly serious.

"You have divine milk, Senior, and wish to trade it?" Han Li was startled, genuinely surprised.

"I've resided in the Nether River region for so long; it would be a joke if I couldn't even obtain some of this divine milk," the old man scoffed, appearing unconcerned.

"Do the Mayfly tribe members know about this? Isn't the divine milk guarded by two Nether Lightning Beasts?" Han Li asked, surprised and doubtful.

"Can a mere two Nether Lightning Beasts truly render me helpless? I have my own methods to bypass their senses and obtain the divine milk. Moreover, I only take a small amount each time. Even if they knew, would they truly dare to confront me?" the elder named Jiang said proudly.

"Divine milk, I certainly want it! But I truly don't have anything that would catch your eye, Senior!" Han Li said with difficulty after a long pause.

"When did I say I wanted something from you right now?" the old man transmitted, a hint of trickery in his voice.

"Senior, you mean..." Han Li's expression shifted.

"It's simple. To postpone the arrival of my next heavenly tribulation, I cannot leave this space, yet I specifically require some extremely important items. As long as you help me collect them outside and deliver them to me within a thousand years, I will trade a bottle of Nether River Divine Milk with you. What do you think of this deal, Fellow Daoist?" the old man asked.

"Senior, could you please let me see what items need to be collected first before I agree?" Han Li didn't agree immediately but asked cautiously.

Seeing Han Li's cautious attitude, the elder named Jiang instead showed a satisfied expression.

Without another word, he flicked his sleeve, and another azure jade slip flew out.

Han Li caught the jade slip and immersed his spiritual sense into it.

Just a moment later, his expression became uncertain.

After another moment, Han Li withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip, lowered his head in contemplation for a while, and then looked up at the old man with a forced smile:

"Senior, although the items listed in your jade slip aren't numerous, I'm only familiar with one or two tenths of them, either by knowledge or hearsay. And even those I know are exceptionally rare. Without a significant stroke of luck, one wouldn't even have the fortune to glimpse them. Haven't you overestimated me a bit, Senior?"

"Fellow Daoist Han, do you think Nether River Divine Milk is an ordinary spiritual liquid? This is a spiritual item that even Body Integration cultivators dream of, willing to risk death to obtain. Besides, I didn't say you had to collect every single item on the list. As long as you can find two-thirds of them and return here, I will trade the divine milk with you," the old man said calmly.

"Two-thirds? If that's the case, then it's not entirely hopeless!" Han Li muttered after another moment of thought.

"So, Fellow Daoist Han, you agree to this transaction. If that's the case, my sending you away from the Nether River region will serve as a prepaid deposit."

"How could I refuse, Senior?" Han Li said with a wry smile, rubbing his nose.

"In two days, I will send you away from the Nether River region!" The old man said with a relaxed smile, his eyes slightly narrowed.