Chapter 1663: Futile Effort

"I killed the Spirit of the Cave," Han Li said, his expression neutral, not directly answering the man surnamed Gui, but instead asking a question in return. "However, do you know anything about the true origin of the entity that possessed it?"

Hearing Han Li's question, both the man surnamed Gui and Xianxian's expressions subtly changed. They couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Brother Han, do you have any doubts? Feel free to share them," Xianxian said slowly after a moment of silence.

"Nothing much, just that this thing claimed to be an avatar of an Outerworld Demonic Monarch before it died. What are your thoughts on that, fellow Daoists?" Han Li asked with a nonchalant expression.

"An Outerworld Demonic Monarch!"

"Impossible!"

This time, Xianxian and the man surnamed Gui exclaimed almost in unison, both revealing expressions of shock and fear.

"Oh, this 'Outerworld Demonic Monarch' is new to me, but you two seem to know quite a lot about it. Could you enlighten me a little?" Han Li raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on them.

The man surnamed Gui let out a cold snort, his expression shifting between light and shadow, seemingly uninterested in responding.

The Crystal Race woman hesitated for a moment before parting her lips to explain:

"Brother Han, you should know about Outerworld Devils, right? Outerworld Demonic Monarchs are the highest-tier beings among them. They typically manifest countless avatars. Even True Spirits, when undergoing tribulation, can have their minds invaded by Demonic Monarchs of this caliber. A single misstep could lead to them being demonized and becoming puppets."

"Even True Spirits can't avoid it!" Han Li's gaze darkened upon hearing this.

"Not just True Spirits; I've heard that even immortals from the True Immortal Realm could potentially be demonized and controlled if they encounter an Outerworld Demonic Monarch. Of course, this is just a rumor, and no one has ever witnessed it to confirm its truth. However, Brother Han, you mentioned that the Spirit of the Cave was possessed and controlled by an Outerworld Demonic Monarch. Is that really true?" Xianxian first gave a bitter smile, then couldn't help but ask for confirmation.

"What, does Fairy Xian believe I'm lying?" Han Li replied calmly, his mind racing with various thoughts after hearing about the true origin of the Outerworld Demonic Monarch, despite his internal shock.

"How could I think that? It's just that this matter is far from trivial, so I had to..."

"I, on the other hand, believe there's a strong possibility that what he said is true."

Before Xianxian could say anything more, the man surnamed Gui, who had been silently brooding for a moment, interjected expressionlessly.

"What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Gui?" Not only was Han Li somewhat surprised, but Xianxian also narrowed her beautiful eyes and asked softly.

"Hmph, don't play dumb. I don't believe you didn't notice the strange aspects of this Spirit of the Cave. You should be very clear that a natural creature like a Spirit of the Cave cannot be possessed or controlled by ordinary beings. Even our true selves couldn't possibly do it. Furthermore, what this thing said earlier, about having eliminated several beings like us, shouldn't be false either," the man surnamed Gui replied coldly.

"Even so, how did it know about the True Spirit Cave and the True Qilin's origin, and lie in wait here?" Xianxian shook her head, refuting.

"That part is harder to guess. Perhaps this Outerworld Demonic Monarch's avatar, when it luckily stumbled into this realm, coincidentally first devoured one of the beings like us who escaped that year, and thus learned of this location. Or it could truly be a coincidence: it first encountered and controlled the Spirit of the Cave here, and then, by devouring others who found this place, it learned about us," the man surnamed Gui explained grimly.

"If that's the case, it sounds plausible. But whether it's truly so, we'll know once we check. If I'm not mistaken, the bodies of creatures possessed by an Outerworld Demonic Monarch eventually turn entirely into demonic dust. Even if the Spirit of the Cave's original body is unique, it wouldn't be an exception," Xianxian said, her beautiful eyes looking downwards.

Han Li also lowered his head to look, intrigued by her words.

Upon looking, he was startled. The grotesque, grayish-white stone-like facial remains had, at some unknown point, turned into a large pile of black ash, lying silently on the ground below.

Han Li strained his eyes, finally discerning faint traces of the grotesque face's original form within the black ash, and his mouth twitched involuntarily.

This sight, of course, was also noticed by the other two.

The Crystal Race woman said nothing, only letting out a soft sigh, while the man surnamed Gui raised his hand and made a grasping motion towards the empty space below.

Instantly, a clump of black ash transformed into a wisp of black smoke, which the man caught in his hand and examined closely.

"Indeed, it is demonic dust," the man surnamed Gui said calmly, his eyes flickering for a long moment before he tossed the black ash from his hand.

"It seems Brother Han's words are true. This Spirit of the Cave was indeed controlled by an Outerworld Demonic Monarch's avatar, no wonder it was so troublesome. My companion and I unknowingly fell into its trap earlier and almost lost our lives. Speaking of which, I truly must thank Brother Han for your timely assistance," Xianxian said with a light chuckle, her eyes shimmering as she expressed her gratitude to Han Li.

"It's nothing, I was just lucky to be able to slay this demon. This fiend truly possesses strange and unpredictable abilities, making it very difficult to deal with," Han Li said, his mouth twitching slightly as he recalled the black-robed figure's seemingly indestructible manifestations within the grotesque face's body. A significant sense of apprehension filled his heart.

"That's certainly to be expected. This was also because the Spirit of the Cave didn't have a physical body, so it couldn't be truly demonized to fully exert even one or two tenths of its abilities. Otherwise, the Outerworld Demonic Monarch's powers are almost on par with True Immortals of the Spirit Realm. Even a being demonized and controlled by its avatar would be terrifying to the extreme, definitely not something we could handle now. However, since its avatar was slain by Fellow Daoist Han, it likely won't give up easily. If you truly undergo the ascension tribulation in the future, this demon will most likely personally interfere," the man surnamed Gui said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Ascension tribulation! Heh heh, I don't even consider something so far in the future," Han Li chuckled, as if unconcerned.

"Alright. Since Fellow Daoist Xian and I have answered your questions, shouldn't we discuss the matter of the True Qilin's Origin?" the man surnamed Gui said with a cold laugh, once again bringing up the ultimate goal of their trip.

"Regardless of what the True Qilin's Origin looks like, I didn't see a single trace of it inside the Spirit of the Cave," Han Li replied forthrightly this time.

Upon hearing Han Li's words, the man surnamed Gui's expression instantly darkened. Xianxian, too, furrowed her delicate brows, deep in thought.

Strangely, neither of them showed expressions of shock, anger, or suspicion.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, feeling a bit puzzled.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Gui?" the Crystal Race woman suddenly asked with a smile, turning to the man surnamed Gui.

"There are indeed no fluctuations of the True Qilin's Origin on Fellow Daoist Han's person. This object is intrinsically linked to us, so it's impossible to conceal its presence from our senses with treasures or restrictions. Therefore, he naturally isn't lying. However, when we were fighting the Spirit of the Cave earlier, we both sensed the Origin's presence on its body," the man surnamed Gui articulated, word by word.

"So, Brother Gui, your judgment is the same as mine?" Xianxian's face turned pale.

"Precisely. Since Fellow Daoist Han doesn't possess the True Qilin's Origin, then with the death of the Spirit of the Cave, the Origin either dissipated on its own, returning to the earth, or it returned to its original True Spirit Cave. We would only be able to obtain it again by waiting for the next Spirit of the Cave to be born," the man surnamed Gui said, his expression grim.

"If it's the first case, then we naturally have no more chances. But if it's the second, it's merely a matter of waiting a few hundred more years," the Crystal Race woman said, forcing a faint sound.

"Oh, is that so? Do you two fellow Daoists have a way to determine which scenario it is?" Han Li asked, his heart stirring, as he crossed his arms and stroked his chin.

"Of course there's no way. The first scenario leaves no trace to investigate, and for the second, there's no way to enter the ground," the Crystal Race woman murmured.

Upon hearing this, Han Li was equally disappointed. After all, that Origin power could potentially help him advance to the Integration stage. Now, hearing this, it implied that even if the True Qilin's Origin still existed, he would have to wait several hundred years for any hope of obtaining it.

However, even if the man and woman didn't seem to be lying, Han Li naturally wouldn't completely believe them.

Instantly, a blue light flashed in his eyes. At the same time, he released his spiritual sense, and his escape light soared, circling around the vicinity as he began to investigate everything nearby.

After thoroughly searching everything within a radius of several miles, he found not a single clue. Frustrated, he could only fly back, landing his escape light beside the other two.

Seeing Han Li's unwilling expression, Xianxian and the man surnamed Gui naturally became more convinced of Han Li's previous words. All three fell silent, each contemplating their own thoughts with varying expressions.

For Xianxian, this trip was undeniably a complete failure, and her disappointment was evident.

The man surnamed Gui remained relatively composed, but his eyes flickered, as if pondering something further.

"Heh heh, it seems this trip was in vain. Fortunately, my parasitic body is that of a Silver Flood Dragon, so a few hundred years is certainly worth waiting for," the man surnamed Gui suddenly chuckled, seemingly having figured something out.

"You have a Silver Flood Dragon body, so even if you wait that many years, you can still aim for the Saint rank and higher existences. But if I wait a few hundred years, even if I get the True Qilin's Origin, I might not have enough time to fully refine it and use it for cultivation," Xianxian said, her expression complex.

"Since you know that, why not just give up now, or simply merge with me and become one?" the man surnamed Gui said, a strange light flashing in his eyes upon hearing her words.

"Merging our spiritual senses is certainly possible. However, if you abandon your consciousness and let my will dominate, I can agree right away," Xianxian retorted, raising a delicate eyebrow and her face suddenly darkening.

"Hmph, you refuse a toast but will drink a penalty!" the man surnamed Gui growled, a fierce expression instantly appearing on his face. As he clenched his hands, a faint scent of blood permeated from his body.

"What, Fellow Daoist Gui, do you think you can handle Brother Han and my combined efforts alone?" Xianxian asked, a chill running through her heart, yet a hint of murderous intent appeared on her beautiful face.

"Fellow Daoist Han, do you intend to intervene in this matter? If you are willing to turn and leave now, I will certainly express my deep gratitude later!" the man surnamed Gui said abruptly, a cold light flickering in his eyes as he swept his gaze over Han Li.