Chapter 806: Ancient Demon World

"The Great Development Art wasn't something I stole from the far west; it was given to me willingly by someone," Han Li said calmly, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Don't worry! The Thousand Bamboo Sect is no longer controlled by my lineage. Even if you had stolen it, I wouldn't care," Grandmaster Dayan said dismissively.

"As long as it doesn't affect our transaction, your thoughts on the matter are irrelevant. However, I must ask you again, Senior: Are you truly unable to break that Soul Sealing Curse?" Han Li asked with a hint of seriousness.

"It's not that I can't break it. It's that my lifespan is limited, and I don't have the time to do so. Otherwise, no matter how profound such a poisonous curse is, how could it stump me?" Grandmaster Dayan replied with disdain.

Although Han Li had anticipated the answer, he still felt a deep sense of disappointment.

"Very well. Since you can't break the curse either, I'll have to make a trip to the Devilfall Valley," Han Li said calmly, his expression now normal.

Grandmaster Dayan, to Han Li's surprise, remained silent for a moment before his voice finally resumed.

"Han brat, going to the Devilfall Valley is not a wise decision! Back then, as my lifespan neared its end, I also considered venturing into the Devilfall Valley. But I didn't actually go because I later created the Spirit Attachment Art. However, my knowledge of this valley is extensive. Do you truly believe that because one or two people occasionally emerge alive, it means the valley can be safely entered and exited? Leaving aside the ancient restrictions within the valley, the horror of those spatial rifts is beyond imagination for anyone who hasn't witnessed them. And these rifts occasionally even..." Grandmaster Dayan paused, his voice abruptly trailing off at this point.

"Even what?" Han Li's heart stirred as he pressed for an answer.

"Occasionally, by sheer coincidence, those spatial rifts will directly open passages to other realms, releasing some demons and monsters. If you encounter them, you'd best pray for your own good fortune."

"Opening passages to other realms? What does that mean? Are there other realms besides the Spirit Realm, the Underworld, and the Immortal Realm?" Han Li was startled.

"Years ago, I acquired an ancient book that coincidentally mentioned some details about various realms. The Immortal Realm, needless to say, has no connection to our Human Realm whatsoever. As for the Spirit Realm and the Underworld, one is a higher realm and doesn't easily connect with ours. The other is filled with demonic spirits and malevolent ghosts, and no powerful demon or ghost would willingly cross over to our Human Realm. It's only the ancient devils from the Ancient Devil Realm, which is most similar to our Human Realm, who are fond of visiting. If they get the chance to cross over, they will never give it up. Even mere avatars of some powerful, well-known, high-ranking ancient devils are incredibly formidable. At your current level, you would certainly be no match for them." The elder's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Ancient devils? What are those? I've never heard of them before," Han Li asked, his face full of surprise.

"What ancient devils are is hard to describe. But they are certainly not humans like us, nor are they demon beasts. Their forms are incredibly diverse and varied. It is said that in ancient times, the Ancient Devil Realm once opened a passage to our realm, and a group of high-ranking ancient devils came over to wreak havoc in the Human Realm. As a result, the ancient cultivators of that era fought them for countless years. Relying on sheer numbers, they eventually eliminated all the invading ancient devils. However, the ancient cultivators suffered innumerable casualties in this war, and their vitality was severely depleted. Many ancient cultivation techniques and spirit beasts became extinct. The decline of ancient cultivators is largely related to this." Grandmaster Dayan's solemn words revealed some ancient secrets Han Li had never known.

"Ancient cultivators fought against these ancient devils?" Han Li's face changed drastically.

He didn't know how powerful ancient devils were, but he was very familiar with the divine abilities of ancient cultivators through the numerous ancient treasures and ruins they left behind. Hearing the old monster's tone, it seemed the ancient devils' divine abilities even surpassed those of ancient cultivators, which greatly alarmed Han Li.

"Not only that, but some of the ancient demonic arts cultivated by present-day demonic cultivators were created by later generations after learning of the Ancient Devil Realm's existence. Through these created cultivation methods, they imitate some of the ancient devils' divine abilities. Some creators can even use secret techniques to borrow the demonic energy of certain well-known ancient devils from across realms to dramatically increase their own divine powers. However, while these demonic arts are indeed incredibly powerful, legend has it that cultivating them to the extreme doesn't lead to ascension to the fabled Spirit Realm, but rather to the Ancient Devil Realm, where one becomes a member of the ancient devils. Of course, this is merely a rumor and has never been confirmed by anyone. Still, many demonic cultivators are greedy for the power of these ancient demonic arts, and a considerable number of people risk cultivating them. After all, ascending to the Ancient Devil Realm is a matter for the Spirit Transformation stage, something so distant that they don't need to consider it for now. Naturally, the chance of the spatial rifts in Devilfall Valley opening up a passage to another realm isn't very high. Perhaps you'll be perfectly safe during your few days in the valley; I might just be worrying needlessly." The elder's voice slowed down at this point.

Han Li, remembering some demonic transformations and strange illusions he had seen from various demonic cultivation techniques, took a sharp breath. He found himself believing the elder's words by seven or eight parts.

"If ancient devils could truly cross over through the Devilfall Valley's spatial rifts, wouldn't our cultivation world in Tiannan have long since fallen into chaos? Yet, so many years have passed, and I've never heard of such demonic creatures as ancient devils appearing," Han Li asked, still puzzled after a long period of contemplation, his face heavy.

"What do you know? These spatial rifts are, after all, not true inter-realm passages. Any demons or monsters that can cross over are merely avatars or low-level beings. And because their cultivation is insufficient to resist the repulsion of our realm's Heavenly Dao laws, they cannot remain in our Human Realm for too long. They either self-detonate or escape back through the rift from which they came. They wouldn't have time to plague your Tiannan," Grandmaster Dayan scoffed, as if curling his lip.

"So, only low-level demons can cross over, and their time here is limited," Han Li said, his tense expression relaxing as he let out a sigh of relief. He also recalled the demonic bird the Mulan spellcasters summoned using an ancient lamp, which seemed to be a similar situation.

"Han brat, don't rejoice too soon. Although this is just speculation, if ancient devils or other demonic creatures genuinely appear in the valley, no matter how weak they seem, they won't be weak at all. Moreover, the ancient devils' cultivation methods are extraordinarily bizarre. Even if their cultivation levels are comparable, human cultivators facing ancient devils of the same rank are destined to die," Grandmaster Dayan reminded him soberly.

Han Li's brows furrowed as he began to ponder the implications.

"Senior, since you haven't actually entered the valley, how do you know so much about this? You're not just exaggerating, are you?" Han Li let out a long breath, then calmly changed the subject and asked.

"I haven't entered the valley, but several cultivators who were close to me back then ventured into the Devilfall Valley together. Unfortunately for them, they encountered an ancient devil that had just crossed over as soon as they entered. After a fierce battle, only one of them managed to escape with a split soul and reached me. These individuals, like me, were not well-known during their lives, so few in the cultivation world of Tiannan know about their entry into the valley. Well, I've said enough for today. If you want to seek treasures in the Devilfall Valley, you must take care of yourself. Here are the cultivation incantations for the fifth layer of the Great Development Art and the methods for refining two Core Formation puppets. This is part of the remuneration I promised you that day; you can take it now."

As he finished speaking, a white jade slip shot out from the bamboo tube on his back. It circled once above Han Li's head before dropping straight down.

"I thought, Senior, that you had forgotten about this!"

Although Han Li was still processing the shock of the ancient devils revelation, a flicker of joy crossed his face at the sight. He raised a hand, caught the jade slip, and quickly immersed his consciousness to scan its contents.

"Now, I must recuperate my energy so I can continue researching puppet arts within the Blessed Grotto. Do not disturb me unless it's urgent," Grandmaster Dayan said somewhat languidly for his final words, and then his voice abruptly ceased, with no further sound emanating from him.

After finishing with the jade slip, Han Li turned to look at the bamboo tube on his back, his expression turning uncertain.

He knew well that the old monster was still hiding something, but he was powerless to do anything about it. The so-called Blessed Grotto was, in fact, the bamboo tube on his back. Though it appeared ordinary and inconspicuous, it was a genuine spatial treasure, containing a world of its own.

Grandmaster Dayan's true puppet body was hidden within it. Otherwise, Han Li would have long since stored it in his storage pouch; why would he carry it on his back?

After a while, Han Li put away the jade slip. He looked around, then up at the sky, and suddenly transformed into a streak of green light, shooting straight out of the city.

It was already late, and the sky was dark.

Above a forest outside the city, Han Li halted his flight, descending into the trees.

Under a large tree not far away, something seemed vaguely present. Han Li, his expression unchanged, walked towards it.

It was a large, disheveled human head. A common person seeing it suddenly would naturally be startled, but a closer look revealed it was actually a person buried entirely in the earth, with only their head exposed.

The person had incredibly long, strange green hair, disheveled and obscuring their face. As Han Li approached, the disheveled figure immediately sensed something, and with a slight movement of the head, a pair of eerie green eyes instantly shot out a gaze.

However, upon clearly seeing Han Li, the cold light immediately receded, replaced by a submissive look.

Han Li smiled faintly, took a few steps forward, and circled the head a few times with evident interest.

"Not bad. A simple spiritual sense has already developed. It seems it can be put to good use in the Devilfall Valley," Han Li muttered softly, looking somewhat pleased.

Han Li then immediately set up some restrictions nearby before sitting down cross-legged. He didn't immediately close his eyes to meditate. Instead, he reached into his storage pouch, pulled out a yellow token, and idly toyed with it for a while.

Gazing at the token inscribed with "Heavenly Extreme Sect" and other characters, Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, his bright pupils gleaming in the darkness.

(Only one chapter was written this time.)

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