Chapter 2228: True Immortal Descends Spirit Travels Ten Thousand Miles

These three Golden Devouring Beetles were the only spiritual insects that remained after tens of thousands of mature Golden Devouring Beetles and twelve candidate Beetle Kings mutually devoured each other.

In a moment of desperation, when threatened by the true thunder of the heavenly tribulation, Han Li summoned all the Golden Devouring Beetles that had been dormant and evolving, having been steeped in Spirit Cleansing Pool water and consuming numerous spiritual objects. Unexpectedly, after being struck by and absorbing some of the true thunder's power, these Golden Devouring Beetles and the more than ten candidate Beetle Kings began to attack and devour one another.

Han Li was both surprised and delighted by this turn of events. After he successfully overcame the heavenly tribulation and advanced to the Mahayana stage, only these three candidate Beetle Kings, or 'half-step Beetle Kings' as they could be called, remained from the entire swarm.

These three half-step Golden Devouring Beetles were now several times their original size, with extraordinarily ferocious forms. The deep purple patterns on their backs faintly resembled lightning bolts, a truly shocking sight. Moreover, the auras of these three half-step Beetle Kings were incomparably stronger than before, almost rivaling cultivators in the late Integration stage. Coupled with their indestructible bodies and terrifying ability to devour anything, the true might of these three golden spiritual insects was truly formidable.

Unfortunately, after devouring each other to this point, these three half-step spiritual insects ceased their conflict, failing to continue until only one remained. Otherwise, the Golden Devouring Beetle King, which even a True Immortal would reportedly retreat from, as Qing Yuanzi once mentioned, might truly have emerged.

Han Li carefully observed the three half-step Golden Devouring Beetles. His eyes flickered slightly, and he subtly urged his spiritual sense. The wings of the three enormous golden insects trembled. They instantly transformed into streaks of golden light, darting through the secret chamber. Instantly, a loud whirring filled the secret chamber. Streaks of golden light flickered in and out of sight in every corner, resembling phantoms. Guided by his spiritual sense, the three spiritual insects moved as if extensions of his own limbs, without the slightest hesitation or awkwardness.

Seeing this, Han Li finally relaxed. He immediately formed a hand seal with one hand. The three enormous golden insects hummed. Their bodies rapidly shrank and vanished into his sleeve in a flash. With these three half-step Golden Devouring Beetle Kings, Han Li had effectively gained three powerful late Integration-stage assistants, a significant and unexpected boon.

Han Li's initial joy subsided. After some thought, he remained seated cross-legged on the ground, his lips moving subtly without a sound, as if transmitting a message. A moment later, a ripple appeared before Han Li, and after a flash of silver light, a figure silently materialized. It calmly addressed Han Li: "Fellow Daoist Han, were you looking for me?"

The figure was none other than Daoist Crab.

"Brother Crab, please have a seat! Now that it's just the two of us, I believe we can continue our previous conversation. To be absolutely sure, I'd like to ask you to repeat what you said earlier." Han Li invited Daoist Crab to sit, speaking with a slight smile.

"Very well. My previous statement was simple: you now meet the conditions to become my true master. Once you complete a few more tasks, I can serve you and be at your command from then on," Daoist Crab stated calmly.

"Who set these conditions you speak of? Surely, Brother Crab, it's not just a sudden whim of yours?" Han Li asked cautiously.

"Of course, this isn't my idea, but rather conditions set by my previous master. I only speak of these things when someone who meets the basic requirements appears," Daoist Crab replied without hesitation.

"Given that your master is a True Immortal, these conditions must surely hold profound meaning and be genuine. Brother Crab, perhaps you could first explain the subsequent requirements, and then we can determine if I am truly capable of fulfilling them," Han Li replied, choosing his words carefully after a long pause.

"Very well. I have a list here with a few items; you should gather them first." Daoist Crab nodded, and with a flick of his hand, a blue jade slip flew across to Han Li.

Han Li grasped the jade slip with a flick of his hand, then frowned and asked, "Is that all there is to it?"

"Of course not! But if Fellow Daoist cannot even accomplish this much, then there's naturally no need for you to know about the subsequent tasks," Daoist Crab stated frankly.

"That makes sense!" Han Li nodded, then pressed the jade slip to his forehead, and his spiritual sense instantly swept through it.

A moment later, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense, removed the jade slip from his forehead, and after a slight frown and another glance, he slowly addressed Daoist Crab: "The items on this list are certainly not easy to acquire. Besides requiring time, I fear it will also demand considerable serendipity to gather them all. If my luck is poor, I might not even be able to collect them in my lifetime. Daoist Crab, are you certain that not a single item can be missing?"

"Not only can not a single item be missing, but even the quantity of each must be exact, down to the last fraction; otherwise, it will not count as fulfilling this condition," Daoist Crab replied without hesitation.

"Alright. It seems truly gaining Brother Crab's service will be no easy feat. I can only say I'll do my utmost to try," Han Li said, gripping the jade slip, his expression shifting for a moment before he finally made his decision.

"Very well. I hope you succeed! If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave." Daoist Crab nodded, his face devoid of expression. With a flicker, his body transformed into an electric arc and vanished into the void.

Han Li gazed at the spot where Daoist Crab had vanished, a peculiar glint in his eyes. It seemed his earlier judgment was correct; Daoist Crab had indeed become much more sentient after Han Li advanced to the Mahayana stage. This pseudo-immortal puppet evidently held some unknown secrets.

After his thoughts raced for several moments, Han Li silently placed the jade slip into his storage bracelet, then rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. Having finally handled all his affairs, he could now quietly meditate and consolidate his cultivation realm.

Han Li remained in the secret chamber, not emerging, while outside, days quickly passed, and a month flew by in the blink of an eye.

One day, as Han Li meditated in the secret chamber, his eyes suddenly opened. Two piercing blue sun-like rays flashed within them before vanishing, and he abruptly struck his head with one hand. With a "crack," his skull opened, and golden light surged out. A small, several-foot-tall figure flickered and appeared in the air. The small figure wore a green robe and had a face identical to Han Li's, appearing like Han Li himself, shrunken by over tenfold. A misty green miniature sword was tucked into its back, and on each shoulder and its chest, a thumb-sized golden beetle clung tightly to its collar, resembling three gleaming golden pendants, an eerily peculiar sight. As soon as the small figure appeared, it lowered its head and carefully examined itself, a hint of joy appearing on its face.

Below, Han Li's physical body, which had been motionless, suddenly showed a slight shift in expression. Golden light flashed again on his head, and his previously open skull healed itself. Han Li's body then stirred, and he voluntarily stood up, bowing slightly to the green figure in the air. Almost simultaneously, a green light flashed from Han Li's physical body, and a misty green figure with a face strikingly similar to Han Li's also materialized beside him. It was the spiritual body controlled by Qu'er, which immediately stood respectfully to the side.

"Both of you, take good care of my physical body. I intend to test the 'Spirit Roaming Ten Thousand Miles' technique of a perfected and solidified Nascent Soul. I will return shortly." The green figure's gaze swept downwards, and to Han Li's surprise, it spoke in his own voice with a solemn expression. Then, with a sound of tearing air, the green figure vanished from its spot in a flash.

Below, Han Li's physical body and the green spiritual body exchanged glances, then each silently sat down cross-legged, remaining silent.

Meanwhile, the small figure, transformed from Han Li's perfected Nascent Soul, now flickered and appeared tens of thousands of feet high in the sky. It lowered its head to glance; the white clouds below were only faintly visible. When it looked up again, it was met by a buzzing white hurricane. As the winds surged, its green robe immediately flapped, and its skin tingled as if being cut by knives. But upon seeing this, the green figure, instead of being alarmed, began to laugh, muttering a few words: "This Outer Heaven Astral Wind truly lives up to its reputation. If my Nascent Soul had reached this height before, it would likely have been instantly torn to shreds by this astral wind. But now, apart from being somewhat challenging to endure, I no longer fear it."

No sooner had the green figure finished speaking than it immediately formed another hand seal. Its entire body blurred, transforming into a ball of golden light that plunged into the astral wind, traversing through it at an incredible speed and ascending higher and higher. As the green figure's escape speed increased and it steadily ascended, the white hurricane swirling from all directions grew increasingly fierce and terrifying. Amidst the gusts of strong wind, faint, whistling wind blades could be seen forming out of thin air. With a flash, they carved dark spatial cracks near the green figure.

Upon seeing this, the green figure's pupils constricted slightly. After a brief hesitation, it showed no intention of dodging, instead pressing onward against the wind without hesitation. With a "whoosh," a wind blade flashed across the green figure's body, and instantly, a slender crack appeared in the same spot. The green figure blurred, as if on the verge of being sucked into this fine crack. But the figure immediately twisted its body sharply, and after a blur, it completely broke free from the crack, continuing forward as if nothing had happened. Even spatial cracks, which Integration stage cultivators would deem fatal, were utterly unable to harm the green figure.

As the figure ascended another ten thousand feet like a streak of light, a sudden, indescribably low roar came from an even greater height, followed by a strange wave of fluctuations. The surrounding astral winds trembled, then shattered violently. The void at the higher altitude suddenly tore open, and a gigantic object abruptly emerged, fixing its two massive, pagoda-like eyes intently on the green figure below.