Chapter 2306: True Immortal Descends Little Shura Realm

“Fellow Daoist Ling, what exactly do you want us to do? There's no need to beat around the bush anymore,” Mo Jianli asked, his eyes flashing.

“Since Brother Mo has put it that way, I'll be direct,” the white-robed elder said, his expression shifting slightly before he finally revealed the object of the trade. “I currently need the legendary ‘Threads of Time’ to preserve my life. A single thread of time can be exchanged for a ‘Three Pure Thunder Roar Talisman’ from me. What do you all think, fellow Daoists?”

“Threads of Time? Fellow Daoist, surely you jest!” The others were all startled by the Spirit King's words, and Black Scale was particularly enraged as he exclaimed, “How could we possibly find such a legendary wonder of the Nine Heavens for you?”

As the name suggests, the Threads of Time are wondrous treasures that can only be born within the River of Time, which contains the laws of time. However, the River of Time cannot exist in lower realms like the Spirit Realm. Only in the True Immortal Realm might there be a few such rivers containing the power of the Great Dao.

“Brother Spirit King, it seems you have no sincerity in this transaction at all,” Mo Jianli said, his expression grim.

Han Li had also heard about the ‘Threads of Time’ and the ‘River of Time’ from ancient texts. As he listened, he stroked his chin, a flurry of thoughts racing through his mind, despite his surprise.

Even among the many legendary treasures, the Threads of Time were considered wonders that could seize the very creation of heaven and earth. Their greatest effect was their ability to prolong life! It was said that a single thread of time contained enough temporal power to extend the lifespan of a mortal or a low-to-mid-level cultivator by over a thousand years. However, for mighty beings like themselves, these Threads of Time possessed the incredible ability to postpone heavenly tribulations. One thread could delay a minor tribulation by over five hundred years and a major tribulation by over a hundred years. Of course, these were merely legends, and their exact effects had never been personally confirmed by anyone. Yet, one thing was certain: the River of Time had indeed never appeared in realms like the Spirit Realm. Now that the Spirit King had suddenly mentioned this item, could it be...? After some thought, Han Li glanced at the white-robed elder, an involuntary flicker of an unusual expression on his face.

The next moment, the white-robed elder's light chuckle immediately dispelled Han Li's conjecture. “Heh heh, how dare I joke with fellow Daoists? The finest Threads of Time are indeed only born in the River of Time. However, I have no specific requirements regarding this item's grade. Even if you can find the lowest-grade Threads of Time, I will immediately exchange them for a Thunder Roar Talisman. Obtaining innate Threads of Time is naturally quite impossible. But if they are refined and extracted later on, it may not be impossible for us,” the Spirit King said slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Black Scale and Mo Jianli were stunned and fell into contemplation. Bloodflame, however, after hearing the elder's recent words, immediately remembered something, and a flicker of surprise appeared on his face.

“It seems Fellow Daoist Bloodflame has recalled it!” The Spirit King's gaze shifted to the foreign Grand Ascension cultivator, Bloodflame, and he spoke unhurriedly.

“Brother Blood?” Black Scale turned his head in surprise, looking at Bloodflame.

Han Li and Mo Jianli exchanged glances, both remaining silent.

“If I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Spirit King is referring to the Small Asura Realm that appeared once many years ago, and the Asura Spiders unique to that realm. Other than that, I can't think of anywhere else to obtain those post-natal Threads of Time,” Bloodflame said, enunciating each word after a long pause.

“Small Asura Realm!”

“Asura Spider!”

Mo Jianli and Black Scale exclaimed almost simultaneously. Han Li, however, blinked, looking somewhat bewildered. These two names were entirely new to him.

“Precisely. The Asura Spiders are born with an innate talent for manipulating spatial and temporal power. If one were to slay a few of these creatures, it would be possible to extract a thread of post-natal Threads of Time from their crystal cores. This is infinitely easier than asking you all to search for the River of Time,” the Spirit King said leisurely.

“Hmph, you speak so easily!” Bloodflame snorted after his expression changed several times. “Putting aside how strange the Small Asura Realm is and how terrifying the Asura Spiders are, the entrance to that realm completely collapsed and vanished during the great war twenty thousand years ago. How could we possibly enter it again?”

“Since I have such a plan, I naturally made preparations long ago. Please, gentlemen, take a look at this.” The white-robed elder smiled faintly, then flipped his hand, and a mass of crimson light suddenly appeared in his palm.

Han Li focused his gaze. Within the crimson light, there was a fist-sized, blood-red, stone-like object. Its surface was incredibly rough, with numerous tiny pores vaguely visible.

“An Asura Heart! This is an Asura Heart! Brother Ling, where did you obtain this item?!” Mo Jianli's expression drastically changed the moment he saw the object. Bloodflame and Black Scale clearly recognized it too, their faces filled with disbelief. Only Han Li's expression shifted slightly. This Asura Heart was also something he was seeing for the first time, so naturally, he showed no unusual reaction. However, a moment later, a voice sounded in his ear as Mo Jianli transmitted a brief explanation with subtly moving lips:

“Twenty thousand years ago, the Small Asura Realm appeared once in a certain location in the southern part of our Wind Yuan Continent. However, unlike our realm, though it seemed small in area, all its species were extremely similar to those of the 'Asura Realm,' a perilous realm that collapsed and vanished in ancient times. The Asura Spider is one such representative. Therefore, many speculate that this realm might be a small fragment of the Asura Realm that was left behind after its collapse. Although this Asura Realm is extremely dangerous, it truly contains many rare materials that are difficult to find in ordinary realms. Back then, several nearby super-clans engaged in a fierce struggle to claim this realm, only to accidentally destroy its entrance and cause it to vanish again. This made those super-clans regretful for a very long time.” Mo Jianli paused his transmission there.

“I see. And what is this Asura Heart? Brother Mo, you seemed extremely surprised to hear of it,” Han Li transmitted back.

“The Asura Heart is a wondrous object formed from the hearts of powerful creatures within the Small Asura Realm. It contains a mysterious energy unique to that realm. Originally, it was only used for refining magical artifacts and elixirs. However, after the entrance collapsed, some discovered that by carrying this item and combining it with an ancient, long-abandoned inter-realm teleportation array, one could directly enter the Small Asura Realm without needing the original entrance. During this period, anyone transported into the realm must promptly refine the Asura Heart into some kind of protective artifact and keep it close, as its energy will continuously dissipate, serving to resist the realm's repulsive force. When the energy is completely depleted, the person who entered will automatically be expelled from the Small Asura Realm due to the repulsive force. Unfortunately, the creatures within the Small Asura Realm that possess these Asura Hearts are simply not something ordinary people can slay. Moreover, at the time, not many people paid much attention to the existence of this item. Therefore, after the entrance vanished, there weren't many Asura Hearts left, and after so many years of continuous consumption, those still existing in the world are probably few and far between—perhaps fewer than five in total. The fact that this Spirit King possesses such an item naturally surprised me as well,” Mo Jianli explained in detail.

Upon hearing this, Han Li nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

While the two were transmitting their thoughts, Bloodflame, the foreign Grand Ascension cultivator, had already taken the Asura Heart from the white-robed elder and was examining it carefully. After a long while, he let out a long breath, weighed the object in his hand, and then solemnly asked the elder, “It is indeed an Asura Heart, no doubt. But I wonder, Brother Ling, how many pieces do you possess?”

“Two,” the elder replied, holding up two fingers.

“Two pieces? A single Asura Heart should only be able to transport one person into the Small Asura Realm. Brother Ling, do you intend to select only two of us to go to the Small Asura Realm?” Bloodflame asked, his expression darkening. Mo Jianli's face also changed upon hearing this.

“Please rest assured on that point,” the white-robed elder said, completely unfazed. “After being modified by me, this Asura Heart can now be divided into two halves for use. However, while it originally contained enough energy for one person to stay in the Small Asura Realm for about a month, now each person can only stay for around ten days or so. I believe with your formidable abilities, fellow Daoists, this amount of time should be enough to find the Asura Spiders.”

“Hmph, if we truly enter the Small Asura Realm, with that little time, we'll just have to rely on luck,” Bloodflame snorted.

“If I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoists Bloodflame and Black Scale possess the bloodlines of the ancient True Spirit Six-headed Bloodflame Spider and the Black Armored Heavenly Dragon Spider, respectively, do they not? For others, this amount of time might not be enough to find the Asura Spiders, but with your bloodline sensory abilities as a guide, you two should have a great chance,” the white-robed elder said with a sudden smile.

“You even know that! It seems you've specifically investigated my brother and me,” Bloodflame's pupils contracted. Black Scale's eyes, meanwhile, flashed with a fierce light.

“Heh heh, originally, Fellow Daoist Stoneheart, whom I had arranged to meet, possessed a closer bloodline to the Thousand-Eyed Evil Spider, which would have made it considerably easier to find the Asura Spiders in the Small Asura Realm. But since he has now perished in the Demon Realm, I can only place my hopes on you all. As for Brother Mo and Fellow Daoist Han, finding the Asura Spiders will probably genuinely rely on some luck. Fortunately, the Small Asura Realm isn't particularly large, so even without the bloodline power, it's not to say that you two have no chance. If it weren't for my urgent need for these Threads of Time, and if I hadn't foreseen Fellow Daoist Stoneheart's demise, I originally wouldn't have involved Brother Mo and Fellow Daoist Han in this matter. But since you have actively presented yourselves before me with the relevant tokens, I can only let you two try your luck. I have already explained everything that needed to be said. I wonder, have the four of you decided whether to make a trip to the Small Asura Realm?” the white-robed elder calmly addressed the four of them.

Han Li and the other three all wore solemn expressions. For a moment, no one immediately responded to the elder.