Chapter 2081: Blood Fang Mi

“It seems Fellow Daoist isn’t taking it seriously enough. However, these three demonic scourges are indeed no small matter. Brother Han, when you traverse the entire desert later, you really shouldn’t underestimate them. The three great scourges are the Soul-Shattering Wind, the Earth-Devouring Sand, and the Phantom Howling Demonic Wolf. I presume Fellow Daoist is well aware of this. However, the danger level of these three differs significantly. Among them, adult Phantom Howling Demonic Wolves only possess the cultivation of the Refinement Void stage, but they usually act in packs. Even the smallest pack will consist of seven or eight adult wolves. Should one encounter them, even if one barely manages to kill them, it will result in severe exhaustion. Nevertheless, this particular scourge poses the least threat to Fellow Daoist. Although Phantom Howling Demonic Wolves move like the wind in the desert, they are still slower than Eight-Legged Demonic Lizards. As long as they are detected in advance, they can be easily shaken off. Of course, if Brother Han doesn't have a demonic lizard for transportation, it would naturally be a different situation. As for the Earth-Devouring Sand, it is the second most dangerous hazard in the Phantom Howling Desert, surpassed only by the Soul-Shattering Wind…” The yellow-haired man began to explain volubly.

Although Han Li had already learned some of what the large man was saying, he still listened attentively with a smile.

Over half a month later, Han Li, who had been resting with his eyes slightly closed on the demonic scarab, suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze pierced through the hazy sandstorm, vaguely spotting a patch of green about a dozen miles away.

And just then, the pleasant voice of the purple-haired woman suddenly sounded from ahead.

“Fellow Daoists, Silver Stream Oasis is just ahead. Our Bai family has a small outpost there. We can rest and prepare ourselves first before going to expel that demonic beast. The ore vein is only half a day's journey from the oasis.”

“Excellent! This Lord has spent the entire month on these demonic beasts, and frankly, I'm quite tired of it. Once we get there, I need a good rest and a hearty meal before anything else. Brother Bai, you’ll also need to produce what you promised earlier.” Upon hearing this, Lord Luan Long patted his round belly and said, his eyes gleaming.

“Haha, Brother Luan Long, rest assured. I know your demonic cultivation technique is special and requires consuming that item to unleash its full potential. Once we reach the oasis, I will naturally present it to you immediately with both hands.” Before the purple-haired woman could reply, the yellow-haired man answered with a loud laugh.

“That’s good. If I consume that item, my magic power can temporarily increase by at least thirty percent, giving us an extra measure of confidence in expelling that demonic beast. Moreover, the taste of that item is truly exquisite, unequaled in this world and hard to find. I only had it once years ago, but I still can’t forget it.” Lord Luan Long nodded in satisfaction.

“Naturally. Even our Bai family had to expend great effort to acquire even that small amount of the item,” the purple-haired woman echoed with a charming smile.

Han Li, overhearing this conversation, felt a slight surprise, but after a few thoughts, he didn’t dwell on it.

A short while later, the group, riding swiftly on the demonic lizards, arrived at the small oasis.

The moment Han Li and the others entered the oasis, the various sandstorms that had been blowing in their faces immediately ceased, as if an invisible force had isolated this small green patch.

The entire oasis was only a few miles wide, with low-lying shrubs of varying sizes growing along its edges. In its center was a small, half-mile-diameter dark green lake, and on one side of the lake, a cluster of grey buildings had been constructed. They appeared to be made entirely of sand and earth, yet were strangely exceptionally hard.

These buildings occupied only a few acres of land, but unusual fluctuations emanated from their surroundings, suggesting the presence of extraordinary restrictions.

Han Li’s gaze swept over the small lake before finally settling on the cluster of buildings.

All these buildings were inverted hemispherical in shape, standing no more than three or four zhang tall, noticeably shorter compared to ordinary structures.

At this moment, the yellow-haired man was the first to leap off his demonic lizard. With a raise of his hand, he collected the beast into his spirit beast ring. Then, with a frown, he glanced at the distant buildings and suddenly let out a long, dragon-like roar.

The roar soared directly into the high heavens, like thunder rumbling unevenly in the low sky. Yet, after a considerable while, there was still no reaction from within the buildings; no one emerged.

At this, the yellow-haired man’s face changed. He raised a hand and made a strange gesture behind him.

Immediately, Bai Yunxin and six other Bai family disciples dismounted their demonic lizards and cautiously walked towards the buildings.

As they reached the buildings, Bai Yunxin produced a jet-black iron token with one hand and waved it in the air before them.

Immediately, a layer of black mist surged forth from the ground, engulfing their figures. Afterward, no sound whatsoever could be heard.

The purple-haired woman and Lord Luan Long witnessed all this, and their gazes grew a little heavier.

Only Han Li watched everything silently, his expression completely unchanged.

However, no one noticed the continuous blue flashes deep within his pupils. His gaze directly penetrated the black mist before him, allowing him to see the situation inside with perfect clarity.

After more than a thousand years of continuous cultivation by Han Li, his Bright-Sight Spirit Eyes now possessed incredible divine abilities. Penetrating the mere obstructions of a few restrictions was a trivial matter!

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the black mist emanating from around the buildings suddenly receded and vanished. Bai Yunxin and the others reappeared before the structures. She bowed deeply to the yellow-haired man not far away and reported:

“Reporting to Ancestor, the outpost's restrictions are intact, but none of the disciples originally stationed here are present.”

“None of them? This is the only oasis in the vicinity, where could they have gone?” The yellow-haired man’s face darkened upon hearing this, and he said coldly.

“This… your grand-niece truly doesn’t know. We also found no traces of struggle within the outpost!” Bai Yunxin replied with some trepidation.

The yellow-haired man’s expression hardened, and just as he was about to say more, Han Li, standing by, suddenly smiled and spoke:

“Fellow Daoist Bai! Regardless, let us enter first. This is not a place for detailed discussion!”

“That’s true. I, Bai, was a bit negligent. Fellow Daoists, let us enter together!” The large man was startled for a moment but immediately recalled something, and his expression softened as he spoke.

“Then I, this Lord, won’t stand on ceremony. Let’s go!” Lord Luan Long chuckled. With a shift of his body, he inexplicably vanished from atop the demonic lizard, reappearing indistinctly behind Bai Yunxin and the other disciples, then grandly strode towards the largest building.

Seeing this, the yellow-haired man gave a wry smile, then signaled Han Li and the others to dismount their demonic lizards and enter the cluster of buildings.

A short while later, Han Li and the other Body Integration cultivators were all gathered in a hall tens of zhang in size, while Bai Yunxin and the disciples, under the large man’s instruction, stood guard outside the entrance.

“I just swept this area with my spiritual sense. Indeed, as Xin’er said, there are no traces of conflict here, and the external restrictive formations are also completely intact. It's clear that those disciples left this place on their own,” the purple-haired woman said, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, as she sat cross-legged on a futon.

“According to our instructions, these disciples were supposed to take turns monitoring the demonic beast’s movements. Could it be that they were all devoured by that demonic beast? No, that doesn’t seem right either. Even if that demonic beast went berserk, there should still be someone left guarding this place.” The yellow-haired man shook his head, appearing somewhat perplexed.

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter how your Bai family disciples disappeared. They are just low-level disciples; why bother caring too much? Just quickly bring out that item and let me have a good meal before we talk further.” Lord Luan Long blinked his small eyes and said impatiently to the yellow-haired man.

“Hehe, Fellow Daoist Luan Long, there’s no need to be anxious. Since my sister and I previously promised you, we naturally wouldn’t go back on our word. Fifth Sister, please bring out that item and give it to Brother Luan Long.” Seeing Lord Luan Long’s eager expression, the yellow-haired man immediately agreed with a smile.

With a hint of charm appearing at the corner of her lips, the purple-haired woman flicked her wrist. A stream of white light instantly shot out from her storage bracelet, and a crystal-clear jade box appeared on the table before her.

Lord Luan Long was overjoyed at this sight. His plump hand immediately reached out into the air towards the table. With a whoosh, the jade box was instantly drawn into his grasp, and he immediately snapped open its lid.

Han Li and Han Qizi’s gazes naturally swept towards it simultaneously. As a result, Han Li’s pupils suddenly constricted, and Han Qizi actually let out a surprised ‘oh?’

Inside the jade box lay a grain-like fruit. However, this grain was surprisingly half a foot long, thick at one end like a baby’s arm, and exceptionally sharp at the other. It was entirely blood-red and faintly emitted waves of peculiar fragrance, causing one’s mouth to water upon smelling it.

“This is Bloodfang Rice!” Han Li muttered in shock, staring at the grain, yet he seemed somewhat uncertain.

“I didn’t expect Brother Han, with your vast knowledge, to recognize even this precious item. This is indeed a rare thousand-year Bloodfang Rice. Consuming this rice not only enhances vitality and improves the physical body, but for cultivators of blood-related demonic techniques like Fellow Daoist Luan Long, it can further stimulate the potential of one’s essence blood, causing magic power to temporarily surge by twenty or thirty percent. This is also one of the rewards our Bai family promised Fellow Daoist Luan Long. Furthermore, the taste of Bloodfang Rice is unparalleled in the world; just one bite leaves a fresh fragrance lingering in the mouth for months.”

“I, too, have only heard of this item, but this is my first time seeing such a wondrous thing. Tsk, tsk. I've heard that Bloodfang Rice not only has extremely demanding growth conditions but also requires continuous irrigation with the essence blood of unique rare beasts to mature and bear fruit. Even the lowest quality Bloodfang Rice apparently needs a hundred years before it can be consumed. For Brother Bai to acquire this single thousand-year Bloodfang Rice is truly eye-opening for me, Han,” Han Li slowly said, his expression somewhat complex.

This Bloodfang Rice was a special product of the Demonic Realm, yet even there, it was exceedingly rare. It was also one of the few items Han Li had specifically noted and intended to acquire during his journey through the Demonic Realm. This was because it was one of the very few wondrous items he knew of that could still have some effect on his physical body.