Chapter 1690: Flame and Metal Essence

Although Han Li didn't say everything, Old Monster Xu naturally understood his meaning. He couldn't help but frown and ask, "What kind of treasure does Fellow Daoist truly require for this exchange? Please feel free to state it directly. Even if I don't possess it myself, I have a wide network of acquaintances and can help Fellow Daoist search for it."

Upon hearing this, Han Li fell silent, pondering. It was certainly not true that he didn't want anything; for example, there was a large collection of rare materials that Qing Yuanzi needed. However, precisely because of this, he found it difficult to speak up. He naturally felt it wasn't worth exchanging the True Kirin Origin for just a few materials. But if he were to ask for too many, Old Monster Xu might think he was trying to take advantage, thereby needlessly creating animosity. After all, only Han Li truly understood the value of the True Kirin Origin, but he couldn't openly declare this to the other party, which made him quite hesitant.

"Fellow Daoist Xu," Han Li sighed lightly, his face still showing hesitation, "the items I need are quite obscure and difficult to find, even with your power. There's no point in mentioning them. As for the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi..."

Seeing Han Li's hesitation, Old Monster Xu's expression also became uncertain. However, after a glance at the young man behind him, he suddenly gritted his teeth and pulled out another dark blue jade box from his robes. With a determined look, he said, "Brother Han, please take a look at this item. Its value is immense, even surpassing those previously offered. This item is also needed by an elder in my clan; I had originally intended to present it to him to secure another benefit. But now, for the sake of my junior, I can no longer consider that. Please, Brother Han, take a look. I believe that even if this item isn't what you're looking for, its intrinsic value alone will compensate you for your loss."

Han Li wasn't overly surprised by Old Monster Xu's actions. If he were the one seeking help, he certainly wouldn't offer his most valuable possessions right at the start. As for the claim that an elder in his clan needed the item, Han Li mostly took it as a casual excuse and didn't take it too seriously.

Han Li calmly nodded, then reached out and, with a subtle gesture, drew the blue jade box towards him. The moment his fingers touched the box, he felt an astonishing chill transfer to him, causing a jolt in his heart. This jade box, crafted from some unknown spirit jade, was incredibly cold, surpassing even the Profound Jade he was familiar with.

Han Li's interest in the item inside the box grew. With a flick of his finger, the lid slowly opened. A golden light flashed, revealing an object within. It was a fist-sized piece of crimson metal, resembling glazed glass, yet emitting a brilliant golden glow. Han Li's eyes flickered with a mix of surprise and doubt; he seemed to recognize the item's origin but appeared somewhat disbelieving.

Suddenly, he flipped his palm, and a pale white short sword, about half a foot long, appeared in his hand. Though it glimmered with a cold light, it was clearly just an ordinary artifact. Han Li flicked his wrist, and the short sword immediately transformed into a streak of white light, shooting towards the jade box. The next moment, the sword's tip pierced the crimson metal inside the box.

An astonishing scene unfolded. Without a sound, the instant the sword tip touched the crimson metal, the entire short sword dissolved like a candle, turning into a wisp of green smoke and vanishing into thin air.

"Essence of Blazing Gold! Fellow Daoist, you actually found this item!" Han Li's expression changed, and his voice became somewhat dry.

"Fellow Daoist Han truly has excellent foresight. This Essence of Blazing Gold is the highest-grade material for refining fire-attribute magic treasures. Even ordinary artifacts, with just a tiny bit added, can spontaneously gain fire-attribute divine abilities. No matter how precious your consumable treasure is, I believe this item is sufficient compensation," Old Monster Xu said slowly, looking at the blue jade box in Han Li's hand.

"Are you truly set on this, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li's expression of surprise gradually faded, but after some consideration, he suddenly smiled and said, "I can indeed make use of this Essence of Blazing Gold. However, since this item is so rare, I won't let Brother Xu suffer a loss. How about this: I'll compensate you with five million spirit stones; consider it half purchase, half exchange."

"Good, it shall be as Fellow Daoist Han says." Old Monster Xu, who had originally felt a great pang of regret at parting with the Essence of Blazing Gold, visibly relaxed upon hearing Han Li's words. He nodded and readily agreed. To him, while the Essence of Blazing Gold was rare, the future of his highly anticipated junior was naturally of greater importance.

"But I wonder about the treasure Fellow Daoist Han mentioned..." Old Monster Xu watched as Han Li flipped his palm and put away the jade box, then tentatively asked.

"Don't worry, Brother Xu," Han Li chuckled, explaining, "First, take this bag of spirit stones. Then, just wait at the mountain peak. I will immediately activate the treasure and draw forth the celestial phenomenon again. All you need to do is collect the primordial qi from the mountain." With a sweep of his hand over his storage bracelet, he immediately pulled out a leather bag of spirit stones and tossed it directly to Old Monster Xu.

"Alright, I shall await your good news on the mountain." Old Monster Xu was clearly surprised that Han Li was fulfilling his part of the transaction so quickly and cleanly. After a moment of initial astonishment upon receiving the bag, he was overjoyed. He immediately stood up to bid farewell, taking the young man with him. They left Han Li's cave dwelling and headed directly towards the mountaintop.

Han Li saw them off at the entrance, and after their escape light vanished, he could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. "I've acquired the Essence of Blazing Gold so quickly!" he murmured, his eyes brightening. "With the Golden Marrow Crystal Worm and Blood Apricot I obtained previously, the main materials for condensing the Brahman Holy Devilish Avatar are complete. Once I gather the remaining auxiliary materials, I can begin condensing the avatar, allowing it to possess a physical body."

He then closed the stone door, returned to his cave dwelling, and went directly to the main hall. Everything that followed was remarkably simple. Han Li once again released Tihun and extracted another True Kirin Origin crystal from its body, deliberately encasing it in spiritual fire for refining. The result was identical to what had happened that day: the crystal once again transformed into a golden light, shot through the roof, and plunged into the mountain peak, causing another astonishing celestial phenomenon that stirred all the nearby Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Old Monster Xu, who had been waiting on the mountaintop for a while, was naturally overjoyed. He immediately summoned the vermillion gourd from his waist, allowing it to transform into a fiery dragon that fiercely lunged into the sky. In just a short while, the seemingly astonishing celestial phenomenon dissipated, and most of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was absorbed by the fiery dragon. The entire process was much quicker than the previous time, barely alarming the other foreign cultivators on Spirit Mountain. After Old Monster Xu reverted the fiery dragon back into a gourd and collected it, he happily took the young man back to his own cave dwelling.

After witnessing all of this through a bronze mirror in his cave dwelling's main hall, Han Li smiled, immediately ceased the secret art, put away the mirror, and then used his divine sense to give a few instructions to the puppet before once again leaving his cave dwelling.

This time, Han Li went directly to several large material shops in Cloud City, spending an astronomical amount of spirit stones to purchase over thirty different kinds of materials in one go before returning to his cave dwelling. It was fortunate that Cloud City was one of the few super-cities in Tianyun; otherwise, some of the less common materials might not have been available elsewhere.

Half a month after Han Li re-entered his secret chamber for secluded cultivation, a major event, known to few, occurred in Cloud City. Immediately, the already stringent security at the city gates became even tighter. The number of patrol personnel throughout the city nearly doubled. Furthermore, some recently arrived outsiders were approached by mysterious figures and subjected to extremely thorough interrogations. Some individuals with problematic identities mysteriously vanished from the world.

In an extremely secret hall somewhere in Cloud City, over a dozen important figures of various identities sat on wooden chairs, arranged in two rows. Among them were Han Li's acquaintances, such as the three elders of the Myriad Ancient Clan, including Qianjizi, as well as Cai Liuying of the Crystal Clan, and Duan Tianren of the Stone Cocoon Clan. As for the others, though their faces were unfamiliar, their expressions and demeanor clearly indicated that they were of the same rank as Qianjizi and the rest. So many renowned Saint Clan level existences sat with solemn expressions, most displaying a hint of caution.

In the very center of one side of the hall, a man and a woman sat side by side. The man was a white-robed youth, appearing to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. The woman was an old hag with golden hair, her face covered in deep, gully-like wrinkles, making it seem as if her eyelids couldn't even open. The old hag was one thing, but if Han Li were to get a clear look at the white-robed youth again, he would be startled. This white-robed youth was precisely the Mahayana stage cultivator surnamed Weng who had appeared at the previous Four Clans Auction. However, at this moment, the youth's face was ashen, and his entire being exuded an indescribable sinister aura.

"So many days have passed, and we still haven't found the infiltrating Horned Demon Clan member," the youth surnamed Weng suddenly asked coldly, looking at one of the individuals seated on the side. "It seems he has either long since fled or is hidden in a secret place that none of you can find. Fellow Daoist Bai, your Water Charm Clan has been responsible for this matter recently. What are your thoughts on this?"

That person was a brocade-robed individual with entirely white hair but a youthful face. Upon hearing the question from the youth surnamed Weng, his expression immediately turned somewhat grim, but he quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and replied, "Senior Weng, this time I have mobilized all the skilled practitioners in my clan who are proficient in divination arts. We have interrogated almost all suspicious individuals who have entered Cloud City in the past six months. We even uncovered hundreds of spies sent by other clans to Tianyun. However, there has been no trace of the Horned Demon Clan member who intruded into the Offering Hall. I believe it's very likely that he has truly left Cloud City. Otherwise, he would never have escaped our rigorous investigation."