Chapter 2079: Guangyin Precious Mirror

"Four Demon Venerables still don't have complete control over one demon! What is the origin of this beast, and what divine abilities does it possess?" Han Li pondered for a moment before asking gravely.

"It's quite embarrassing to say. I fought this monster once before, but I couldn't get a clear look at its true form. It was always enveloped in a ball of green flames, so I could only make out a rough silhouette – it was a monster that seemed neither like a rhino nor a cow. As for its divine abilities, this beast specializes in fire-based powers, and its might is so immense it can almost tear through space and melt voids. Earlier, I was caught off guard and nearly trapped and burned to death by its demonic flames on the spot," the purple-haired woman said solemnly, biting her lip slightly.

"Fire-based divine abilities? That's quite troublesome! If one can cultivate fire-based powers to their extreme, their destructive force can far surpass other elemental abilities. No wonder you suffered such a significant loss!" Han Li muttered, his eyes flashing.

"Brother Han, there's no need to flatter me. Even if this beast didn't cultivate demonic flame abilities, its sheer magical power alone is far beyond anything I can contend with. I estimate it has reached the late-stage Demon Venerable great perfection level, which is why the Bai family only dared to try to expel this beast by gathering everyone's strength," the purple-haired woman replied with a wry smile.

"A late-stage Demon Venerable beast! No wonder you're so cautious. Fairy Futian, how confident are you in this operation? Facing a powerful demonic beast of unknown depth is no joke; there's a risk of severe injury or even death," Han Li asked, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"Killing such a demonic beast is, of course, almost impossible. However, if we only aim to expel it and inflict heavy injuries, with four people acting, we should have about a sixty to seventy percent chance of success. But if you, fellow Daoist, also agree to help, I believe we'll have a ninety percent chance," the purple-haired woman replied without hesitation.

"Hehe, Fairy, you certainly are quite confident!" Han Li chuckled noncommittally.

"That's because the two friends the Bai family invited, besides having magical power not inferior to mine, one cultivates ice-cold power, and the other possesses a treasure of extreme yin and coldness. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare boast like this in front of you, fellow Daoist. If this operation doesn't succeed, the Bai family might have no choice but to reluctantly abandon this mineral vein," the purple-haired woman hastily explained, seeing that Han Li seemed somewhat unconvinced.

"Having fellow Daoists who can counter this beast's demonic flames will indeed increase our chances by another twenty percent. It seems Fellow Daoist Futian already has a well-thought-out plan. However, I have one more matter I'd like Fairy to clarify," Han Li nodded in realization, but as his thoughts turned, he suddenly asked again.

"Brother Han, please feel free to ask any questions you have; I will certainly tell you everything I know!" the purple-haired woman said with a smile.

"That demonic beast has cultivated to the late-stage Demon Venerable realm. Even if its intelligence was low initially, it should have gained some wisdom by now. Why would it inexplicably occupy your Bai family's mineral vein? Furthermore, the Bai family seems to value this mineral vein immensely, willing to pay such a price rather than abandon it. May I ask what kind of rare mineral material it produces?" Han Li asked calmly.

"It's a colossal Fire Cloud Stone mineral vein, and it's the highest-grade kind of Fire Cloud Stone, with extremely rich reserves. It could bring the Bai family benefits worth thousands. How could I possibly give it up easily?" the purple-haired woman hastily explained in reply.

"Fire Cloud Stone! That explains it. This late-stage demonic beast is probably trying to absorb the True Fire energy from the entire mineral vein to advance its cultivation, isn't it?" Han Li nodded, feeling somewhat enlightened.

"Exactly. Only certain special types of demonic beasts possess such innate divine abilities, capable of directly absorbing the power of a mineral vein. If ordinary Holy Race members like us attempted such a thing, we would explode and die, no matter how high our cultivation. But precisely because of this, it's better to reclaim this mineral vein as soon as possible. Otherwise, over time, either this beast's cultivation will advance further, or the mineral vein will be largely depleted.

"As long as fellow Daoist promises to lend a hand, regardless of the success or failure of this endeavor, the Bai family will not only gift you an eight-legged demonic lizard but also offer a large sum of demon stones as remuneration," the purple-haired woman promised, her eyes sparkling.

"Since you've shown such sincerity, I find it difficult to flatly refuse. However, I still need to clarify where this Fire Cloud mineral vein is located in the Phantasmic Howl Desert and roughly how long a round trip would take. If it's too time-consuming, I may not be able to participate," Han Li said seriously after pondering for a moment.

"Please rest assured, Brother Han. This mineral vein is not too far from our city. It's only a little over a month's journey deep into the desert to reach it. Even with some delays along the way, three months round trip should be more than enough," the purple-haired woman replied quickly, her beautiful eyes flashing.

"In that case, I can agree to this matter. But may I ask when the Bai family plans to depart?" Han Li no longer hesitated, immediately agreeing to participate.

"Thank you very much for your assistance, Brother Han. One of my two friends has already arrived, and the other will likely need about another month to reach our city. Once all hands are present, we will depart immediately," the purple-haired woman said, overjoyed at his reply.

Han Li smiled and nodded, offering no further comment.

At this point, the purple-haired woman once again invited Han Li to move into the Bai residence, indicating her willingness to cover all his daily cultivation expenses for the duration. However, Han Li politely declined.

Seeing Han Li's firm resolve, the purple-haired woman did not press further. Instead, she discussed some insights on demonic cultivation arts and body tempering with him.

Han Li, naturally, did not refuse and immediately began a lively discussion with her face-to-face.

Not long after, he was surprised to discover that although the Futian Layperson before him was a woman, she possessed many unique insights into body tempering techniques. After their discussion, even some previously perplexing aspects of his own Vanquishing Saint Demonic Arts became clear to him!

This was something he rarely encountered when exchanging ideas with other Integration stage cultivators in the Spirit Realm.

However, Han Li pondered it carefully and soon understood.

His Vanquishing Saint True Demonic Arts originally hailed from the Demon Realm, so it was naturally not surprising that its body tempering secrets shared commonalities with other profound demonic arts. While his previous exchanges with other Integration stage cultivators weren't entirely without gain, when it came to body tempering, they naturally couldn't compare to a true Demon Realm Demon Venerable.

Thinking this, Han Li naturally gave his full attention, and their discussion lasted for most of the day.

During this time, the purple-haired woman was also greatly astonished.

With her cultivation in demonic arts, she could naturally sense that Han Li's comprehension of body tempering techniques was far superior to her own; he was certainly no ordinary Demon Venerable.

With his promise to accompany them against that demonic beast, the magnitude of his assistance was obvious.

With this thought, the woman felt immense joy and naturally became even more courteous towards Han Li.

As dusk approached, Han Li finally rose to take his leave.

This brief time was, of course, insufficient for two Integration-stage cultivators to exchange all their insights. Therefore, the purple-haired woman invited Han Li to continue their discussions at the Bai residence over the next few days.

After a brief consideration, Han Li readily agreed.

At this point, the purple-haired woman personally instructed her subordinates to send Han Li back to his residence using the beast carriage.

After Han Li left the great hall, guided by a maidservant, the purple-haired woman sat back down in her chair, her smile receding slightly.

She picked up a cup of spiritual tea from the table, took a small sip, and then suddenly raised an eyebrow and spoke:

"Big Brother, what do you think of this person? What realm has his cultivation reached? With your divine abilities, Big Brother, and the Broad Yin Mirror, you should have been able to discern some of his depth, right?"

"Fifth Sister, you think too highly of me. This young man named Han is someone who deeply conceals his true strength; he is far more formidable than you imagine!"

As soon as his voice fell, a wall in the great hall suddenly flashed with white light, transforming into a hazy light screen. A figure silently emerged from the white light, holding a dark, prismatic ancient mirror in one hand.

After speaking faintly, the figure flickered and appeared in the chair Han Li had previously occupied, calmly sitting down.

Only then could his face be clearly seen: he was a burly man with curly, light yellow hair. On his forehead, there was also a short white horn, a bit larger than the purple-haired woman's.

From his eyebrows and eyes, one could vaguely discern a two to three-tenths resemblance between the burly man and the purple-haired woman, clearly indicating he was another hidden Demon Venerable-level existence of the Bai family.

"What? Big Brother, with the aid of the Broad Yin Mirror, you still couldn't discern that person's cultivation realm?" the purple-haired woman asked, her heart tightening, as she stared intently at the burly man.

"You know, while my Broad Yin Mirror was refined from a Heaven and Earth Ice Spirit, its effectiveness is greatly diminished when encountering someone protected by an extreme yin treasure or cultivating an extreme cold cultivation art. Moreover, this person's divine sense seems incredibly powerful; he most likely detected me when I was casting my spell just now. He merely pretended not to notice!" the burly man sighed, a hint of grimness on his face.

"What? He already discovered your presence, Big Brother? This is a bit troublesome; I might have to offer him a slight explanation later. But did you truly not discover anything at all, even with the power of the treasured mirror, Brother?" the purple-haired woman asked, her delicate brows furrowing.

"Hehe, an explanation? There's no need at all. Since he acted as if nothing happened earlier, you should just pretend you don't know either. At most, next time I see him, I won't observe him from the side anymore. This Han fellow won't be staying long in Phantasmic Night City; he's just a passerby, so neither you nor I need to exert too much effort to win him over. As for discoveries, my Primal Chaos Scroll isn't called that for nothing; naturally, I did find something. Let me show you, Fifth Sister!"

The burly man chuckled, his finger holding the prismatic ancient mirror moved slightly. Immediately, the treasured scroll transformed into a ball of black light, flying up into the air. With a gentle sway, it hung motionlessly high between them.

Then, the burly man formed a hand seal with one hand, pointed distantly at the black light with the other, and simultaneously began to chant incantations.

In an instant, five-colored shimmering light flickered within the black light cluster, and a scene gradually emerged with extraordinary clarity.