Chapter 437: Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng

Han Li pondered the newly acquired information, wondering if he should truly get involved in this mess.

Although he didn't know what awaited him, this peculiar floating palace clearly resembled places like the "Bloody Trial" in Yue State. Such places were all built by ancient cultivators from barbaric times.

While there were undoubtedly many treasures inside, the dangers would also be considerable.

Grandmaster Jiyin's inexplicable expression had sent shivers down his spine. What exactly was the old man plotting?

Perhaps the wisest course of action was to immediately withdraw and stay out of this matter!

However, according to these old monsters, this place could only be entered once every three hundred years. If he were to retreat now, he might never get this opportunity again.

This made Han Li hesitate once more.

As Han Li was still undecided, the voice of Reverend Xuangu came to his ears.

"Boy, what do you possess that Grandmaster Jiyin is so determined to get? Otherwise, why would he show such an expression towards you? If I'm not mistaken, boy, you're probably in for some serious trouble!" Reverend Xuangu's voice was flat, yet clearly laced with mockery.

Han Li scoffed inwardly upon hearing this and immediately retorted:

"If this Island Master Jiyin knew you were here, he would surely be even more delighted. He'd probably want to catch up on old times with his former master."

"Are you threatening me?" Reverend Xuangu's tone turned sinister at Han Li's words.

"Not at all! With your esteemed status and methods, how could I dare? However, it would be best if you didn't gloat. Otherwise, if my life were in danger, I might accidentally let slip something that implicates you, senior." Han Li spoke expressionlessly.

Xuangu remained silent for a long time.

Just as Han Li thought the other party was enraged and wouldn't bother him for a while,

A cold voice suddenly reached his ears. The content of the message first surprised him, then filled him with delight.

"Do you want to form a Nascent Soul?"

"Senior, what do you mean by that?" Han Li suppressed his excitement and asked calmly.

"Hehe, what do I mean? My words are simple. I know of something that can greatly increase your chances of forming a Nascent Soul. This item is right here in the Celestial Palace. There's no other way. If you're willing to cooperate with me and use this opportunity to eliminate Jiyin, that ungrateful disciple, I will tell you where to find this item and explain how to obtain it. How does that sound? You should know, if I weren't cultivating the path of demonic ghosts, I wouldn't need this item at all. I would never give it to you. And even if you don't cooperate with me, Jiyin seems intent on coming after you anyway. At that point, hehe..." Xuangu spoke slowly, his tone a mix of temptation and threat, making no secret of his intense desire to kill Grandmaster Jiyin.

Han Li didn't immediately agree or refuse after hearing this. Instead, he sat there in silence, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.

The boy who was Reverend Xuangu's avatar also remained perfectly composed, showing no signs of impatience.

He believed that no cultivator in the Core Formation stage could refuse such a significant temptation. He simply had to wait for Han Li's reply.

At this moment, Grandmaster Jiyin and Wu Chou flew to an empty pillar next to the elderly scholar. They began chatting idly with the scholar, occasionally directing a word or two to the beautiful woman named Wen.

However, after the woman finished wiping her sword, she put it away and closed her eyes to rest, not even bothering to lift an eyelid. She clearly had no intention of engaging with them.

Grandmaster Jiyin, despite being so blatantly ignored, showed no anger or embarrassment. He continued to converse with a smiling face, clearly possessing profound cunning.

Han Li subtly glanced at all of this, growing even warier of Grandmaster Jiyin.

This person not only had profound cultivation but also appeared to be far more cunning than ordinary people.

If not for this, how could the old demon Xuangu have fallen into his hands back then, forced to switch to the path of ghostly demons, and even have his path to reincarnation completely blocked?

This made Xuangu hate him so much that he wished to grind his bones to dust!

However, regardless of the grievances between Old Demon Xuangu and Jiyin, Han Li was now targeted by Jiyin.

This spelled big trouble for Han Li!

While it wasn't to say that he had no chance of escaping from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator,

If he were to truly face one head-on, the probability of successfully slipping away was pitifully low.

After all, the cultivation gap between the early Core Formation stage and the Nascent Soul stage was simply too vast.

Even if his magic treasures and Gold Devouring Beetles were powerful, he would likely only be killed.

After pondering for a while, Han Li finally communicated with Xuangu:

"Could you tell me a little more about it? I can't just take your word for it and immediately confront a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, can I?" Han Li spoke, his lips barely moving.

"Of course. As long as you're willing to cooperate with me, I'll reveal some details even if you don't ask." A faint flicker of joy appeared on Xuangu's face, and he secretly replied.

Han Li heard this but said nothing more.

He simply sat there, gently closing his eyes, feigning meditation.

"That item is called the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng. It's a creation of heaven and earth's spiritual energy. Although its essence is just a spiritual herb, it possesses immense sentience. From the moment it's born, it can transform into various animals or insects, move on its own, and is highly skilled at burrowing into soil and wood. Many years ago, I saw this item in the Celestial Palace. However, my cultivation was too low at the time, and I lacked suitable magic tools to capture it. I had no choice but to give up! The second time I came, I had already formed my Nascent Soul, so naturally, I wouldn't waste effort on it. Now, you get to benefit from it." Xuangu spoke with a hint of reluctance.

"Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng?" Han Li gasped upon hearing this.

Han Li had long heard of this item.

It was said to be a legendary immortal herb!

Although he had seen its name in many spiritual herb records, Han Li always believed that if such a thing had ever truly appeared in the mortal realm, it would have been during barbaric times.

Could the Celestial Palace still contain such an item?

But then again,

It wasn't impossible to find one or two such immortal herbs in the ruins left by ancient cultivators.

However, he had never heard that the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng was of great use in forming a Nascent Soul.

Those books described its specific uses vaguely, without mentioning this particular function at all.

Was the old demon lying to him just to trick him into cooperating? Han Li grew suspicious.

Perhaps guessing Han Li's doubts, Xuangu continued:

"Don't worry! When we clear the trials, I will help you capture this item at the second stage. Then, after we deal with that ungrateful disciple, I'll give you a secret elixir recipe. At that time, you just need to follow the steps in the recipe. You'll be able to fully utilize this item and significantly increase your chances of forming a Nascent Soul. However, I also have something I'm absolutely determined to get from this trip to the Celestial Palace, something that will be greatly beneficial to my future cultivation. You'll need to assist me a bit then. That way, my chances of success will be greater." Xuangu proactively dispelled Han Li's suspicions, then proposed a reasonable condition, which largely alleviated Han Li's doubts.

"All right! If you truly have confidence in killing Jiyin, then my assistance is not out of the question." Han Li finally agreed, temporarily forming an alliance with Xuangu.

However, this alliance was extremely fragile, and it was hard to say how long it would last.

It was estimated that when Grandmaster Jiyin was eliminated, their relationship would also break down.

But Han Li still breathed a sigh of relief.

From Old Demon Xuangu's tone, it seemed he had been to this Celestial Palace more than once. Having such a seasoned ally was certainly much better than being completely clueless as he was before.

At the very least, he could learn some basic information about the Celestial Palace from the other party. And before dealing with Grandmaster Jiyin, the other party was trustworthy.

Thus, after Han Li and the other party settled on a verbal agreement, he began to discreetly inquire about the general situation of the Celestial Palace.

After secretly discussing with Old Demon Xuangu for most of the day, Han Li's expression turned grim.

It seemed that opportunities and dangers always coexisted, and this trip to the Celestial Palace was indeed fraught with peril.

He couldn't help but sigh softly.

He then truly immersed himself, beginning to meditate and cultivate his spiritual energy.

In this grand hall, Han Li didn't have to worry about anyone suddenly ambushing him.

He had already tested it: besides minor spells like levitation, if a certain amount of spiritual power was used, it would immediately leak away, preventing the spell from being cast successfully.

Even the magic treasures within his body were completely unusable here, like dead objects.

The restrictions here were truly miraculous.

Subsequently, over the next five or six days, the number of cultivators in the hall steadily increased, eventually reaching over a hundred.

The tops of the jade pillars were already fully occupied by cultivators.

Those cultivators who arrived later had no choice but to find a random spot on the hall floor to rest temporarily.