Chapter 2108: Golden Crab

## Fantasy Cultivation

### Volume Ten: War in the Demon Realm

Han Li smiled faintly. He simply pointed a finger at the dark clouds above the Sea of Thunder and remained silent.

While the others were still puzzled, Bai Qi swept his spiritual eyes over the clouds and exclaimed involuntarily, "What kind of demonic creature is that? It's enormous!"

The others were startled. They, too, looked, but could only see lightning flashing within the dark clouds, making it impossible to discern anything distinctly.

At this moment, Han Li took a light breath, then clutched at the empty air with one hand. A long, green sword materialized in his palm. With a flick, he swung it through the air towards the distant sky.

After a clear hum, a streak of green sword light surged forth. With a flicker, it expanded to hundreds of feet in length, then cleaved down towards the dark clouds ahead with a thunderous rumble.

With this single strike, Han Li had unleashed immense supernatural power. The sheer magnitude of the attack astonished everyone!

Wherever the green light passed, the surrounding space twisted. The dark clouds above the Sea of Thunder were forcibly cleaved apart, creating an incredibly long, chasm-like rift.

Through this gap, Patriarch Long and the others vaguely saw a mountain-sized golden giant beast, suspended silently high in the sky.

The beast was colossal in size, its entire body shimmering with brilliant golden light, and countless thick arcs of electricity coiled around it, making it exceptionally dazzling!

Patriarch Long could only make out a golden hard shell and numerous sharp spikes bristling upwards from it, unable to identify what kind of demonic beast it was for a moment.

A mere wisp of the giant beast's aura emanating from the rift caused everyone present, all cultivators at the Body Integration stage, to blanch.

As their divine sense made contact with the demonic aura, it was silently drawn in, making it impossible to gauge its strength in the slightest.

And the faint, almost imperceptible pressure contained within the aura caused even late-Body Integration cultivators like Patriarch Long to feel their hearts seize with fear.

With such terrifying aura, the words "True Spirit" immediately flashed through Patriarch Long's and the others' racing minds.

What was strange was that despite Han Li's grand display, the golden giant beast remained motionless in its original spot, as if in a deep slumber.

Fortunately, this was the case; otherwise, no one on the giant boat would have dared to linger for another moment. They would have fled without hesitation long ago.

Even so, Elder Hui and the others were pale-faced, their gazes darting wildly around, poised to instantly flee the boat should the golden giant beast make the slightest move.

For a time, everyone on the giant boat fell completely silent!

After a while, Bai Qi suddenly uttered words that brought a sense of relief to the others...

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to worry. This beast shows absolutely no sign of life; it must be merely a set of remains."

"What? Just remains? Brother Bai, you couldn't possibly be mistaken, could you?" the feather-robed young woman asked, still somewhat surprised and doubtful.

"I have cultivated a divine ability that allows me to sense the life signs of all living creatures," Bai Qi said expressionlessly. "The reason I didn't detect the presence of these remains in the air earlier is precisely because this divine ability registered nothing."

"Since Brother Bai says so, I feel much better," the feather-robed young woman said, completely at ease. "Just remains, yet the lingering aura is still so terrifying. It seems highly likely this is truly the remains of a True Spirit." As she looked back towards the sky above the Sea of Thunder, her beautiful eyes brightened.

The immense value of True Spirit remains was easily imaginable!

Not to mention anything else, even if only a fraction of vital energy and true essence remained within the remains, it would be immensely beneficial to all of them, the Body Integration cultivators.

Moreover, the very body of a True Spirit was a rare material in this world for artifact refining and pill concoction. Even a small fragment would be enough to drive countless grandmasters of alchemy and artifact forging into a frenzy.

The hearts of the others were similarly stirred with excitement.

Han Li stroked his chin, a profound and inscrutable expression playing on his lips.

At this moment, the immense gap carved by the sword light now slowly began to close as the surrounding dark clouds churned, once again obscuring the golden giant beast.

With varied expressions, everyone averted their gazes.

"Brother Bai, were you able to clearly identify what kind of True Spirit these remains belong to?" Saintess Qianqiu asked Bai Qi, her eyes flickering slightly.

Among the many Body Integration stage cultivators present, only Han Li and Bai Qi possessed spiritual eyes capable of directly discerning the golden giant beast's complete form, hence her question.

"It's a golden giant crab, only it has four additional pincers at the front!" Bai Qi replied, his eyes narrowing after staring at the dark clouds for a moment, his tone seemed somewhat uncertain.

"A giant crab? A golden giant crab? Does such a True Spirit exist?" Everyone was startled upon hearing this, and the feather-robed young woman blurted out.

"I've never heard of it! None of the many True Spirits known in the Spirit Realm match this description. However, that's not surprising. True Spirits are born in numerous realms, and it's quite normal for some to exist that we are unaware of," Patriarch Long said gravely after a brief contemplation.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Long is right. This beast might indeed be a True Spirit previously unknown to us. But since it has perished, this is our stroke of luck," Elder Hui said, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"Absolutely. Having encountered such an opportunity, we certainly cannot let it slip."

"Such a massive True Spirit's physical body, even if divided among us, the gains would far surpass our imagination. Even if we fail to find the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Pure Spirit Lotus, this journey will not have been in vain."

The others nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Evidently, most of them were now quite excited by this unexpected windfall.

But just then, Han Li suddenly spoke a single sentence that made everyone pause: "How long do you suppose these remains have been here?"

"I'm not entirely certain, but surely not a short time?" Saintess Qianqiu frowned, as if something had just dawned on her.

"While this location might be relatively difficult for us to find, it shouldn't be a challenge for high-level demon cultivators, should it? Fellow Daoists, if these remains were truly so easy to acquire, do you believe those high-level demon cultivators would have simply left them here, specifically for us?" Han Li calmly countered.

Upon hearing this, Elder Hui, the feather-robed young woman, and the other Spirit Race Holy Spirits all had their expressions change again, becoming contemplative.

"Brother Han, are you suggesting that these remains aren't as easily acquired as they seem, and that the demon cultivators are aware of the underlying danger, thus allowing them to remain here?" Patriarch Long asked, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

"Hehe, that's probably only part of it," Han Li chuckled softly, speaking with profound implication.

"Oh, has Brother Han perhaps discovered something further?" Saintess Qianqiu was truly taken aback.

"If I haven't guessed wrong, this golden giant beast isn't True Spirit remains at all, but merely a Devil Crystal Puppet." Han Li sighed, a wry smile playing on his lips, as he delivered a statement that utterly astounded the others.

"What? A puppet! Impossible! How could there be such a terrifying puppet in this world? And what exactly is a Devil Crystal Puppet?" Elder Hui shook his head repeatedly, his face etched with disbelief.

Patriarch Long and Saintess Qianqiu exchanged glances, both wearing expressions of utter disbelief.

Bai Qi, however, after a moment of stunned surprise, quickly cast his spiritual eyes towards the sky above the Sea of Thunder again.

As for the old Spirit Race scholar, his expression remained unchanged, but his heart suddenly gave a few frantic beats upon hearing the term "Devil Crystal Puppet."

"Devil Crystal Puppets are a type of secret puppet crafted in the Demon Realm; we in the Spirit Realm do not possess such secret arts. When I was in Phantom Night City, I specifically studied related secret techniques. Fellow Daoists, please examine a Devil Crystal Puppet I've replicated, and you'll see that my words are true." Han Li sighed, offering no further argument. With a flick of his sleeve, a ball of green light shot forth.

With a flicker, an emerald-green giant wolf instantly appeared on the ship's bow.

It was a low-grade Devil Crystal Puppet that Han Li had personally refined not long ago!

Patriarch Long and the others' attention was naturally drawn to the giant wolf puppet, which they carefully examined from top to bottom.

"I fear Fellow Daoist Han's words are true," Bai Qi said with a wry smile to the others, after the white light from his forehead receded. "I've closely examined the markings on the golden giant crab's body, and they bear a striking resemblance to those on this Devil Crystal Puppet. It seems there truly is a connection between the two. My inability to sense any life signs was, as it turns out, because it's a puppet. I was quite negligent earlier."

"Is that truly the case!"

"But if it's truly just a puppet, why would it have been abandoned here? Its very aura speaks volumes about its terrifying power."

"Could there truly be a True Spirit-grade puppet in this world?"

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but become half-believing, half-doubting, and began speaking up, one after another.

At that moment, Bai Qi opened his mouth and, without a word, spat out a deep blue bronze mirror.

After spinning steadily in front of him, the mirror came to a stable halt about ten feet away.

A spiritual light flashed on Bai Qi's forehead, and a white beam instantly shot out, silently disappearing into the ancient mirror.

The next moment, the previously blank mirror surface shimmered, then instantly conjured an exceptionally clear image.

The image showed brilliant golden light and swirling electricity; it was unmistakably the true form of the golden giant crab hidden within the dark clouds.

"Is this perhaps your esteemed clan's renowned Spiritual Light Retrospection Art! I've heard that this art can perfectly display everything the caster has seen or heard, no matter how long ago." Patriarch Long said, visibly moved by the sight.

"Fellow Daoists, please take a close look at this beast's appearance and see if it truly shares similarities with Brother Han's Devil Crystal Puppet!" Bai Qi gave a slight nod, then pointed a finger at the bronze mirror as he spoke.

Aside from the Spirit Race members, even the feather-robed young woman and Elder Hui had evidently heard of the Spiritual Light Retrospection Art. After their expressions turned serious, they too intently gazed at the giant crab within the bronze mirror.

After the duration of a tea ceremony, when the secret art was dispelled and the image in the bronze mirror vanished, Patriarch Long spoke with a wry smile: "It appears Brother Han's words are indeed true; this giant crab is nothing more than a puppet. If so, there's no need for us to risk extracting it. For a puppet with such a powerful aura to be abandoned here, it must be damaged beyond repair. Otherwise, even facing significant danger, those high-level demon cultivators would never have permitted it to stay."

"Indeed," Saintess Qianqiu said, her expression becoming serious. "We've had our hopes raised for nothing. Let's instead focus on how we can pass through this thunderstorm and reach the island within. That is the true objective of our journey."

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