Chapter 2293: Three Pure Ones Thunder Sky Talisman

"Brother Mo, what do you mean by that...?" Han Li immediately caught the underlying meaning in the old man's words and asked, somewhat surprised.

Mo Jianli sighed, speaking gravely, "Brother Ao's next heavenly tribulation will likely descend in just a few years. When that happens, you and I will have to personally stand guard."

"What? Fellow Daoist Ao's heavenly tribulation is approaching?" Even Han Li, who was usually exceptionally calm, couldn't help but show a slight change in expression upon hearing this, his gaze immediately turning to Patriarch Ao Xiao.

Silvermoon, who had been smiling, instantly turned pale. "Grandfather, is this true?"

After a moment of silence, Patriarch Ao Xiao chuckled and said, "Heh heh, the tribulation was actually due over a thousand years ago, but I used a special method to delay it until now. While this method gives me more buffer time, it also means the tribulation, when it finally descends, will be even more violent than it would have been. However, I wasn't optimistic about this tribulation to begin with, so this approach still has more benefits than drawbacks. With these thousand-plus years, Ling'er, you've finally advanced to the Integration Stage, and with young Han looking after you, I can rest easy now."

"So, Grandfather did something so desperate, like drinking poison to quench thirst, for me?" Silvermoon's voice trembled slightly.

Patriarch Ao Xiao's expression grew serious as he said, "Ling'er, this has little to do with you. Even without you, the Demon Realm was already planning to invade our Spirit Realm back then, and I would have made the same choice regardless."

Silvermoon, however, shook her head repeatedly, clearly unconvinced.

Han Li frowned deeply, speaking thoughtfully, "Fellow Daoist Ao, is there truly no hope of surviving this heavenly tribulation? If you need any kind of treasure, I can try to help you find it."

Patriarch Ao Xiao sighed and said, "Before I used the secret technique to delay the tribulation, I might have had a ten percent chance. Now, it's probably less than half a percent. As for treasures for the tribulation, I've naturally prepared for a long time. I've gathered most of what I can use. The few remaining items I haven't found are incredibly rare and hard to come by, so I no longer hold out hope for them."

"Half a percent? That chance is far too low! This won't do. Grandfather, is there truly no other way to increase your chances of surviving the tribulation?" Silvermoon asked, her eyes slightly red, shaking her head repeatedly.

Patriarch Ao Xiao said without hesitation, "A method? If Fellow Daoist Han's disciple with the Concealed Lightning Root were a Mahayana cultivator, perhaps they could increase my chances by another ten percent. But as it stands now, they would have no effect on my heavenly tribulation."

Hearing this, Silvermoon's face turned even paler.

Han Li and Mo Jianli exchanged glances, only able to offer a bitter, silent smile.

While they, as Mahayana cultivators, might be able to temporarily boost Hai Dashao's cultivation to the Integration Stage if they really put their minds to it, raising him to their own Mahayana level was completely out of the question.

As for Han Li's several Extreme Mountains, although they had miraculous effects against heavenly lightning tribulations, they had unfortunately long since been refined for his own use and thus could not be lent out.

After his expression shifted between various emotions, Mo Jianli suddenly said, "There might be something that could help Ao Xiao with his tribulation. It might increase his chances of survival by one or two tenths."

"Senior Mo, what is it?" Silvermoon's spirits immediately lifted upon hearing this.

Patriarch Ao Xiao, however, showed a hint of surprise, as if Mo Jianli had never mentioned this before.

Han Li's expression stirred, and he, too, listened intently.

Mo Jianli did not directly answer the question but instead turned his attention to Patriarch Ao Xiao. "Fellow Daoist Ao Xiao, you must know Patriarch Stone Heart, right?"

"Patriarch Stone Heart? Of course. Wasn't he the Mahayana from the Cloudgang Tribe who entered the Primordial Demon Lands with us? I even spoke a few words with him, but didn't he perish within the ancient seal? Why, is what you're talking about related to him?" Patriarch Ao Xiao replied after a brief thought.

A strange glint flashed across Mo Jianli's face as he explained, "Although Patriarch Stone Heart didn't possess a treasure for resisting heavenly tribulations, the news about that item came from him. That item should be within the Spirit Race."

Patriarch Ao Xiao's eyes flickered slightly before he asked, "Those non-human Mahayana cultivators did indeed visit the Spirit Race before entering the Demon Realm and stayed there for some time. It seems this matter is likely true. But Brother Mo, after all this talk, what exactly is this treasure you're referring to?"

After a slight hesitation, Mo Jianli finally uttered, "It's the Three Pure Thunderheaven Talisman!"

"What? That talisman?" Patriarch Ao Xiao's expression finally changed dramatically, and he became excited. "Isn't that the legendary supreme secret talisman? Does such a talisman truly exist in the lower realms?"

Han Li stroked his chin with one hand, also somewhat moved.

The Three Pure Thunderheaven Talisman was one of the few secret treasures recorded in ancient texts that had miraculous effects in resisting Mahayana tribulations, and it was renowned across various realms.

However, unlike other treasures, this so-called supreme Daoist secret talisman was a consumable item and had always existed only in legends. It was said that only True Immortals from the Immortal Realm could refine it, so no one in any realm had ever genuinely seen one with their own eyes.

Thus, over time, even some Mahayana stage patriarchs had gradually come to doubt the existence of such a talisman in the lower realms.

Now, Mo Jianli suddenly named the item, and stated it was in the Spirit Race, not far from the Human Race, which filled even a powerful being like Patriarch Ao Xiao with both surprise and joy.

"Logically, the Three Pure Thunderheaven Talisman shouldn't appear in the lower realms, but Patriarch Stone Heart personally saw this talisman in the Spirit Race, and I can guarantee his information is not false in the slightest. As for why, I'm not at liberty to say," Mo Jianli said with significant meaning, half narrating and half explaining.

"Since Brother Mo says so, then it must be true. But if Patriarch Stone Heart knew of this talisman's existence, how could he not try to acquire it? Even if his next heavenly tribulation was still far off, he would never pass up such a treasure," Patriarch Ao Xiao asked earnestly after calming himself and pondering for a moment, even though he was somewhat surprised by Mo Jianli's certainty and wouldn't press for details.

"If such a treasure were right before my eyes, I, Han, would certainly not let it slip away either," Han Li said in strong agreement.

Mo Jianli chuckled, "You two don't know the full story. It wasn't that Patriarch Stone Heart was willing to let such a close treasure go; rather, he had already reached an agreement with the talisman's owner and was preparing to fulfill the transaction to acquire this Three Pure Purple Heaven Talisman upon his return from the Demon Realm."

Patriarch Ao Xiao's handsome face darkened, revealing a hint of apprehension. "In the Spirit Race, for Patriarch Stone Heart to have to resort to a transaction to acquire it! Could this talisman be in that person's hands?"

Mo Jianli let out a long breath and gave a bitter smile. "Who else could it be but that person?"

Hearing this, Silvermoon blinked her beautiful eyes, a little confused, yet subtly seeming to guess something.

Han Li, however, suddenly smiled:

"Are you two fellow Daoists perhaps referring to the Spirit King of the Spirit Race?"

He suddenly recalled the scenes of the Spirit King appearing through Bai Qi's body before entering the Spirit Cleansing Pond in the Demon Realm that day.

Patriarch Ao Xiao and Mo Jianli's expressions subtly changed, and they instinctively exchanged glances.

"That's right, we are indeed referring to the Spirit King. The Three Pure Thunderheaven Talisman is currently in his possession, and there might be more than one," Mo Jianli admitted frankly after nodding.

"More than one?" Patriarch Ao Xiao paused slightly, but then immediately stopped dwelling on it.

According to ancient texts, no matter how many of these secret talismans there were, only one could be used during a single heavenly tribulation.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and slowly asked, "I've heard some things about the Spirit King's reputation, but only that there's a Mahayana cultivator of the Spirit Race; I don't know much else. From your tone, it seems you two fellow Daoists would prefer not to provoke him!"

"It's more than just not wanting to provoke him! If it were possible, Brother Ao and I wouldn't want any connection with that old monster at all," Mo Jianli replied with a bitter smile.

"Oh, why is that?" Han Li naturally asked further.

Patriarch Ao Xiao interjected and answered, "Because while the Spirit Race isn't large, and its overall strength is far inferior to that of our Human and Monster Races, this Spirit King is very likely a true old monster who has lived for over a million years."

"Lived for a million years? How is that possible?" Han Li blurted out, genuinely astonished.

"Heh heh, don't just say you. Both of us were greatly startled when we first heard about this back then," Mo Jianli chuckled.

"If the Spirit King has truly lived for over a million years, then the number of heavenly tribulations it has passed through must be..." Han Li didn't finish his sentence, but its implication was clear to everyone.

"That's unknown," Ao Xiao solemnly stated. "Because no one has ever personally witnessed this Spirit King undergoing a tribulation, nor have we ever heard any news related to its tribulations. Some say this Spirit King is a special existence, with tribulation intervals measured in hundreds of thousands of years. Others say the Spirit King, like us, has actually gone through many generations, but outsiders simply don't know. As for which theory is true, no one knows."

Han Li's expression changed several times, appearing thoughtful. "If it truly is an old monster that has lived for a million years, I, Han, would be extremely wary if I encountered it."

"However, one thing is certain: over these past million years, the aura and appearance of the Spirit King of the Spirit Race have indeed remained consistent, as if belonging to a single person, according to the personal accounts of successive Mahayana cultivators from our two races. Fortunately, the Spirit Race is extremely difficult to proliferate, so even if the Spirit King's power is unfathomable, it cannot expand the current territory of the Spirit Race; it can only maintain its present scale. Furthermore, it has always kept a low profile, with very few instances of truly taking action over these million years," Mo Jianli further explained.