Chapter 1901

Volume Ten: War in the Demon Realm, Chapter 1875

After an unknown period, Han Li's expression stirred, and he opened his eyes again.

From the direction of the Luo family's massive city, a ball of golden light conspicuously shot forth, arriving high in the sky near Han Li in a short while.

Within the shimmering golden light, the figure of a middle-aged man emerged.

It was none other than the Luo family's Old Ancestor, whom Han Li had not seen in many years.

At this moment, he looked down from above, his expressionless gaze scrutinizing Han Li.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Luo!" Han Li rose and calmly cupped his hands in a slight bow towards the air.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Han has advanced to the Mid-Body Integration stage. I initially thought it was merely a rumor, but seeing you now, I realize it's true. Your cultivation speed is incredibly fast; while I wouldn't say unprecedented, certainly very few in the entire human race can compare," the Luo family's Old Ancestor said, a strange light glinting in his eyes.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Luo. But I doubt our meeting this time is solely to discuss my cultivation speed," Han Li replied indifferently upon hearing the praise.

"Of course not. However, I probably don't need to ask much. Since Fellow Daoist Han has reached the Mid-Body Integration stage, it's clear you've already decided to participate in the journey to the Demon Realm," the Luo family's Old Ancestor said, a strange expression appearing on his face after a twitch of his lips.

"Indeed, I have decided to join this expedition. But that's not the main reason for my visit. I have another transaction I'd like to discuss with Fellow Daoist Luo," Han Li said, his arms crossed, his voice unusually calm.

"What transaction?" The Luo family's Old Ancestor paused, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

"I've heard that the Luo family uses true dragon blood as a primary ingredient to refine a pill called 'Dragon Spirit Pill,' which is quite useful for Body Integration cultivators like us in breaking through bottlenecks. Moreover, your esteemed family seems to have replicated the legendary Heaven-Reaching Giant Ark," Han Li said, not directly answering but rather asking a few probing questions with a glint in his eye.

"That is correct. Are you interested in these two items, Fellow Daoist? Unfortunately, I would never trade either of them," the Luo family's Old Ancestor replied with a cold sneer.

"Never trade them? Why are you so certain, Fellow Daoist Luo? Everything in this world can be traded; it merely depends on whether the item offered is enticing enough to move the other party," Han Li chuckled, appearing confident.

"Oh, judging by your tone, you believe you possess something that can sway me," the Luo family's Old Ancestor's heart stirred, but his expression remained aloof.

"I've heard that Fellow Daoist Luo has been stuck at the late-stage bottleneck for tens of thousands of years. I wonder if you'd be interested in something that could help you break through that bottleneck?" Han Li said with a low chuckle.

"A pill for breaking through the late stage! Do you truly possess such a thing, Fellow Daoist? However, it depends on what kind of pill it is. If its effects are minimal, it would be of little use to me," the Luo family's Old Ancestor was initially startled, but his eyes quickly darted, and he regained his composure as he spoke.

"Please take a look at this first, Fellow Daoist," Han Li said with a confident smile, then flicked his sleeve. Instantly, a thumb-sized jade bottle flew out, shooting straight towards the Luo family's Old Ancestor.

The Luo family's Old Ancestor narrowed his eyes, and with a gentle wave of his large hand, he drew the small bottle to him.

"This is..."

After sweeping his divine sense over the small bottle, the Luo family's Old Ancestor's expression subtly changed. He seemed to have discovered something, but still disbelieving, he hastily uncorked the bottle, held its opening beneath his nose, and took a deep breath.

"Heaven River Silver Nectar? No, it doesn't quite seem like it. Its medicinal properties appear stronger than the rumored spiritual nectar. It somewhat resembles the Grand Purity Immortal Liquid, but its color is entirely different." The Luo family's Old Ancestor's previously blank face was now filled with great delight.

"How is it? This Nether River Spirit Nectar should be useful to you, right, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li asked, unsurprised by the reaction.

"This item is called Nether River Spirit Nectar? I've never heard of it. Its effects are indeed good; it would be somewhat useful for me to break through my bottleneck. But you don't only have this single drop, do you, Fellow Daoist? Otherwise, it would still be virtually useless to me," the Luo family's Old Ancestor's expression quickly returned to normal as he asked thoughtfully.

"Of course. I have a full bottle of it. However, I want to exchange it for an equally full bottle of Dragon Spirit Pills and one Heaven-Reaching Giant Ark," Han Li said with a slight smile, as he flipped his hand, revealing another small green bottle, which he lightly weighed before speaking to the Luo family's Old Ancestor.

"You truly ask for a lion's share, Fellow Daoist! Although our Luo family's Dragon Spirit Pill is slightly less effective than this Nether River Spirit Nectar, the difference is not significant. Yet, Fellow Daoist Han intends to exchange it for an additional Heaven-Reaching Giant Ark? Don't you think that's a bit excessive?" The Luo family's Old Ancestor's expression changed, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"I am well aware of that. However, there's a crucial difference between the two. My Nether River Spirit Nectar is currently the only bottle in the entire human race; I've already consumed the rest, which is how I achieved my current cultivation. It's even debatable whether a second bottle exists on the Fengyuan Continent. Your esteemed family's Dragon Spirit Pills, however, can be continuously refined. If you miss this bottle of spiritual nectar in my possession, I can guarantee you will never see a second bottle in your lifetime. As for the Dragon Spirit Pill, while it's also something the Luo family doesn't sell, it occasionally appears on the market. It would simply take me some time, but it's not impossible for me to acquire one," Han Li said with a faint smile.

"Hmph, Fellow Daoist Han certainly knows how to drive a hard bargain. However, if you think this approach will work on me, you've got the wrong person. No matter how eloquently you speak, without an exchange of comparable value, I will absolutely not agree to this trade," the Luo family's Old Ancestor snorted, showing no signs of backing down.

Seeing this, Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, but his expression quickly returned to normal.

"Since Fellow Daoist Luo isn't interested in this Nether River Spirit Nectar, then the transaction I proposed is hereby void. Consider those few drops of spiritual nectar a gift from me to you."

After speaking, Han Li cupped his hands, and with a flash of spiritual light around him, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Witnessing Han Li's actions, the Luo family's Old Ancestor's expression changed, and he instinctively called out to stop him.

"What is it, Fellow Daoist Luo, have you changed your mind?" Han Li's movements paused, and he slowly turned back, speaking with a half-smile.

"Hmph, given our statuses, there's no need for such petty tricks to play hard to get. Your Nether River Spirit Nectar is indeed very useful to me, but your initial offer was simply too outrageous. If you want to exchange for my Dragon Spirit Pill and a Heaven-Reaching Giant Ark, you must add another item or pay a substantial amount of spirit stones. The value of this additional item can be slightly lower than that of the Heaven-Reaching Giant Ark," the Luo family's Old Ancestor said coldly, a glint in his eye.

"Alright, I can consider that condition. How about this: besides the Nether River Spirit Nectar, I'll add a batch of materials worth over a hundred million spirit stones in exchange for one giant ark?" Han Li stroked his chin, proposing a price close to the Luo family's Old Ancestor's bottom line.

"Materials worth over a hundred million spirit stones? What kind of materials are they?" The Luo family's Old Ancestor's facial muscles twitched, and he pressed for more details.

"I have a list here, Fellow Daoist Luo, you can take a look first," Han Li said confidently, winking. He then flicked his sleeve, and a ball of white light shot out, revealing a translucent jade slip.

"Fellow Daoist Han is certainly well-prepared in advance!" The Luo family's Old Ancestor felt quite vexed by this, but could only say so with resignation. Then, with a wave of his hand, he drew the jade slip into his grasp.

"Hmm, these materials are..." The Luo family's Old Ancestor merely scanned the jade slip with his divine sense for a few moments, and his expression suddenly registered surprise, a hint of astonishment appearing on his face.

"Are you satisfied with these materials, Fellow Daoist Luo? These should be exactly what your Luo family needs right now, wouldn't you agree?" Han Li said with narrowed eyes, his words full of hidden meaning.

"You truly are a resourceful individual, Fellow Daoist, to be able to acquire even these materials that are most desperately needed by major powers. It seems you've been eyeing our Luo family's Heaven-Reaching Giant Arks for quite some time. Otherwise, it would be impossible to gather such a collection of materials in a short period. These items cannot even be bought with spirit stones currently. It seems I won't suffer too great a loss in this transaction. Very well! Let's proceed with the trade as discussed," the Luo family's Old Ancestor said to Han Li, his expression fluctuating for a moment before settling with a hint of peculiarity.

"We are simply taking what we each need; your decision is certainly a wise one, Fellow Daoist Luo." Han Li was delighted internally and no longer concealed the faint smile on his face. He then lightly clapped his hands together in front of his chest and separated them, revealing a green ring and a white jade bottle.

However, he did not immediately throw the items over. Instead, his gaze flickered as he looked towards the other party.

The Luo family's Old Ancestor naturally understood Han Li's meaning. Without hesitation, he also flicked his sleeve, and two bursts of spiritual light, one gold and one black, instantly shot forth.

They were a golden bottle and a gleaming black miniature warship.

The golden bottle had nothing particularly special about it, aside from some leaf-like patterns inscribed on its surface. However, the miniature warship, only a few inches long, was incredibly intricate.

This warship was not only pitch-black but also a three-masted sailboat with an astonishing five levels of cabins. Furthermore, its hull was densely inscribed with various magical arrays, too intricate for the naked eye to discern, each one a different vibrant color, clearly indicating extraordinary mystical properties.

The Luo family's Old Ancestor flicked his wrist and directly tossed the two items in his hand over.

Han Li's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he also threw over the jade bottle and storage ring in his hand. With a single grab, he skillfully caught the two items from the other side.

Opening the bottle and sweeping his divine sense over the full bottle of blood-red pills, Han Li revealed a satisfied expression.

With this bottle of a renowned human-race pill, he naturally gained an additional half a percent chance of breaking through his late-stage bottleneck. His gaze then shifted to the miniature black flying ark.

"So this is the Heaven-Reaching Giant Ark. It certainly looks extraordinary, but its true power will require some testing."

Han Li pondered this, then suddenly tossed the small, several-inch-long ark into the air and pointed a finger at it.