"Let's divide these spiritual medicines as agreed," Duan Tianren said, looking at the densely packed jade boxes floating in the void, no longer able to conceal his excitement.
"Hold on, fellow Daoist!" Cai Liuying said, shaking her head despite her excitement. "Although we initially agreed to equally share these spiritual medicines, the spirit stones and Crystalline Moon Dew that followed were all provided by me. I should get an extra ten percent of these spiritual medicines."
"An extra ten percent? Is the Fairy going back on her word?" Qian Jizi said coldly, his face sinking. "As for the spirit stones, Daoist Duan and I will compensate you separately later. And the Crystalline Moon Dew, even if it's a sacred medicine for body refinement, how can it compare to ten percent of Immortal Realm spiritual medicines? At most, giving you five or six more spiritual medicines would be enough to compensate you."
"Alright, five it is," Cai Liuying surprisingly agreed at once, a faint smile on her face.
Qian Jizi couldn't help but be slightly stunned, but he quickly remembered something, and a look of vexation appeared on his face instead. However, after a huff, it was awkward to go back on his word.
Seeing this, Duan Tianren, who was standing by, smiled with his arms crossed.
The three immediately began distributing the hundreds of portions of spiritual medicines from the jade boxes, and after a fierce round of bargaining, they finally divided all the spiritual medicines.
"Heh heh, with these spiritual medicines, I imagine breaking through the bottleneck that has plagued me for years should be no problem now," Duan Tianren said with satisfaction, after putting away all the jade boxes belonging to him.
"However, that young fellow must still have some spiritual medicines that he hasn't taken out. Are you two Daoist friends not interested in them?" Qian Jizi suddenly said, a strange glint in his eyes.
Duan Tianren and Cai Liuying naturally understood what Qian Jizi implied, but after exchanging glances, both revealed looks of apprehension.
"If it were just him alone, our combined efforts would naturally be nothing," Duan Tianren said, shaking his head after his face flickered with uncertainty for a moment. "But don't forget Senior Weng's recent order, specifically to have us unseal that teleportation array for this young man to use. Judging from that, he most likely has some connection with Senior Weng. Furthermore, my disciple has already told me about the scale of that medicinal garden, and calculating it, he's probably taken out most of the spiritual medicines. Even if he has some left, it certainly won't be much. To anger Senior Weng for the sake of the remaining few is somewhat ill-advised. Moreover, this young man possesses considerable abilities and is quite discerning; there's no need to take further action."
"I also think what Brother Duan said makes sense," Cai Liuying agreed with a solemn expression. "If we truly offend Senior Weng for this, even if we are of the Saint Clan, we absolutely cannot bear the consequences."
"Since you two Daoist friends have spoken thus, consider my previous words unsaid," Qian Jizi chuckled awkwardly, dismissing the matter. "Indeed, I was a bit greedy just now."
Without the support of Cai Liuying and Duan Tianren, he naturally abandoned his other thoughts.
At this moment, Han Li was already on the mountain path descending, his sleeves fluttering, his expression calm.
No one knew that his heart was turbulent, considering the pros and cons of this transaction.
On the surface, having so many Immortal Realm spiritual medicines exchanged for mere materials and elixirs by the other party seemed like a great loss. However, in reality, he knew very well that he hadn't suffered any loss at all; in fact, he had gained a significant advantage.
The reason for this was naturally because he had intentionally kept one spare plant of every spiritual medicine he had presented earlier. As long as he spent more time after returning, he could mass-produce them again with the help of the mysterious small bottle.
In this way, his only loss was the extra time he would spend after returning.
As for the Scarlet Luo Fruit and Corrosive Poison Grass, because the ripening method might not be truly effective, he only handed over a few plants, keeping most of the others of the same type.
As for the seven or eight unique spiritual medicines and the mysterious silver lotus pod, he would certainly not hand those over.
Thus, Han Li essentially gained such great benefits from Qian Jizi and the others without actually losing any spiritual medicines.
Naturally, he was in high spirits.
After descending the mountain, Han Li found a place resembling an inn on a nearby peak and temporarily settled there.
For the next three days, he did not stay put at his lodging but instead went around to various material shops in Fujiao City, purchasing a large quantity of materials.
These materials were not necessarily rare, but they were all specialties unique to Thunderclap Continent.
Since he intended to return to Fengyuan Continent, he naturally needed to acquire more, to prepare for future contingencies.
On the morning of the fourth day, Han Li left his lodging and drifted gracefully towards the outskirts of Fujiao City.
Azure Dragon Peak is a mountain located over a hundred miles west of Fujiao City.
Within this vast mountain range, this peak was neither too large nor too small, and not particularly striking. If not for the evergreen trees covering its slopes and its peculiar shape, resembling an ascending flood dragon, probably few people would pay attention to it.
After the azure rainbow, which Han Li had transformed into, arrived above the peak, its light receded, revealing his figure, and he glanced downwards.
With his current powerful divine sense, he naturally swept through the entire mountain in an instant.
The mountain was empty; Xiang Zhili, with whom he had an appointment, had not yet arrived.
Han Li's eyes flickered as he pondered in the air for a moment, then he suddenly flicked his sleeve. Instantly, over a dozen formation flags flew out, shooting towards the base of the mountain before vanishing in a flash.
Only then did he descend, appearing on the peak's summit.
He casually found a clean rock, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes slightly.
Time passed quickly, and several hours went by in a flash.
Han Li's expression stirred, and he suddenly opened his eyes, looking towards Fujiao City.
In the distance, a spiritual light flashed across the horizon, and a dazzling rainbow shot towards him. A moment later, it arrived above the peak, circling before descending.
"Junior Brother Han, I was delayed by something. I apologize for making you wait so long," a yellow-robed old man said, cupping his hands apologetically towards Han Li after the light receded.
It was Xiang Zhili.
"It's nothing, I haven't been here long either," Han Li said calmly, his expression tranquil. "Senior Brother, you can speak frankly now, can't you?"
"Of course. But before that, I need to show Junior Brother something," Xiang Zhili said. He reached into his wide sleeve with one hand and produced a shimmering green jade box, which he offered with a smile.
"This is what Senior Brother wants to give me? What is it, to be so mysterious?" Han Li asked, his expression changing. He glanced at the jade box, and when his divine sense made contact with it, it was unexpectedly bounced away.
The jade box seemed to have been placed under a mysterious and exceptionally profound restriction!
"Heh heh, Junior Brother Han will know once he opens it himself," Xiang Zhili said with a smile, a mysterious look on his face.
Han Li nodded upon hearing this.
He raised a hand to take the green jade box, and after weighing it, he found it extraordinarily light, as if it contained nothing.
After glancing at Xiang Zhili again, a strange expression flashed in Han Li's eyes. He suddenly tossed the jade box into mid-air, then flicked his sleeve. A ten-foot-long azure sword light shot forth, and in a flash, it fiercely struck the box.
"Ah!"
Seeing this, Xiang Zhili immediately cried out in surprise, but naturally, it was too late to stop anything.
With a 'crack' sound, the jade box was sliced open by the azure sword light, and an object drifted down from it.
Han Li narrowed his eyes and naturally saw it clearly, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.
It was a golden talisman, its surface covered with profound silver patterns. Countless gold and silver runes shimmered around the talisman, making it appear exceptionally mysterious.
"This 'Giant Spirit Talisman' was something I obtained by chance in the human realm many years ago, but it can only be refined and used by cultivators of the Soul Transformation stage and above," Xiang Zhili said, his expression returning to calm. He made no mention of Han Li cutting open the jade box but instead offered a few simple explanations, his words exceptionally sincere. "When I passed through the spatial node, I survived thanks to this talisman protecting me. However, I have now fallen to the Core Formation level, so keeping it is useless. I will gift it to Junior Brother Han for your use. In exchange, I hope Junior Brother Han can help me with something when you return to the human race. But rest assured, it's definitely a small matter well within Junior Brother Han's capabilities!"
Han Li frowned slightly upon hearing this and did not respond immediately. Instead, he made a grabbing motion in the air with one hand.
Immediately, an invisible force spread out and covered the air.
With a 'whoosh'!
The golden talisman shot down in response and was drawn into his hand.
Faintly sensing the pure spiritual energy emanating from the 'Giant Spirit Talisman', Han Li's heart stirred. Suddenly, a 'hissing' sound of tearing air resounded, and several crystalline threads shot out from between his eyebrows, vanishing instantly into the talisman.
"Divine Sense Crystallization!"
Seeing this, Xiang Zhili gasped again, a look of horror flashing in his eyes.
But the next moment, an unexpected change occurred!
The 'Giant Spirit Talisman', originally brimming with spiritual energy, suddenly emitted a soft sound, instantly changing from golden to a dark, gloomy color. At the same time, a surge of gray energy rose, and a cluster of grayish-white threads shot out from the talisman.
Their speed was incredible, appearing before Han Li in a flash.
However, Han Li seemed to have anticipated this, showing no panic at all on his face. Instead, a spiritual light flashed, and a layer of golden light barrier emerged on his body, exceptionally thick, as if indestructible.
And so it was.
With Han Li's current cultivation, the protective spiritual light formed by his Brahma-Saint True Devil Arts, aside from some top-tier treasures, indeed, ordinary magical treasures could not shake it in the slightest.
However, a bizarre scene unfolded!
These grayish-white threads actually treated the golden light as if it were nothing, and in a flash, they pierced through the golden light and vanished into his body.
Han Li only felt a chilling cold spread out from where the grayish-white threads entered, and within a single breath, his limbs and body went numb, unable to move a jot.
At the same time, Xiang Zhili, who was originally standing several tens of feet away, upon seeing the grayish-white threads enter Han Li's body, revealed a malevolent expression. He formed a hand seal with both hands, and his body suddenly burst open.
Amidst flying flesh and blood, a blurry blood shadow appeared in its original spot.
Then, a brilliant blood light erupted, and the blood shadow transformed into a blood-red rainbow, lunging forward.
The moment it neared Han Li, a wave of bloody stench assaulted his face.
9601 · 0 · 25
