Chapter 828: Ancient Cultivator Remains

This wasn't all. As Nanlong Hou and the other person scrutinized the scene together, the headless body of the Fire Toad Beast surprisingly emitted streaks of crimson light from its neck. The Fire Toad Beast's head, floating nearby, also pulsed with light from its wound.

The two streams of light continuously stretched and intertwined, gradually approaching each other.

"Immortal Body! This Fire Toad actually possesses such an innate divine ability?" Nanlong Hou exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing this.

After a moment of surprise, the old man named Lu also revealed a look of horror.

"Immortal? There's nothing truly immortal in this world. It simply means its vitality is stronger than that of ordinary demonic beasts."

Having read numerous ancient texts, Han Li naturally knew what the so-called "Immortal Body" referred to. He had already suspected something was amiss after severing the Fire Toad's forelimb and observing the abnormality of the severed limb. This was why he had spoken up to stop Nanlong Hou from rashly opening the seal.

Otherwise, if the Fire Toad had resurrected and escaped, his previous efforts would have been in vain.

But now, Han Li scoffed and pointed a finger at the massive sword that had severed the Fire Toad's head.

The massive sword spun rapidly in the air, then suddenly split into two, transforming into two golden rays that shot downwards simultaneously.

A flash of blue light appeared, followed by two crisp "thud" sounds.

The Fire Toad's head and body were first instantly frozen into ice sculptures by the sword's ice flames, trapping the crimson light within. They were then shattered by the flying swords, turning into shimmering specks of light that scattered across the sky.

Where the body shattered, a thumb-sized, crimson spherical object was left behind. It was the Fire Toad Beast's demonic core!

As soon as the demonic core appeared, Nanlong Hou and the old man named Lu exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of desire in the other's eyes.

After all, it was the demonic core of an ancient beast with an Immortal Body. It might possess some special miraculous effects.

However, the moment they thought of the divine abilities Han Li had previously displayed and his widespread, resounding reputation, the wavering thought in their hearts was instantly extinguished.

After all, both of them were very clear: Han Li's divine abilities were definitely superior to theirs. Even if they joined forces, they would likely only be able to fight Han Li to a draw, and the outcome would still be a fifty-fifty chance.

Turning hostile for an unknown ancient beast's demonic core felt to them as if it wasn't worth it.

After all, there were still many opportunities in the Fallen Devil Valley.

Although Han Li did not possess mind-reading abilities, he had a fairly accurate guess about Nanlong Hou and the other man's thoughts.

During the recent battle to kill the Fire Toad, these two Nascent Soul stage cultivators clearly did not exert their full strength; the beast was almost entirely killed by his divine abilities alone.

Therefore, after severing the Fire Toad Beast's head, Han Li appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he had already raised his guard against them severalfold. This was to prevent them from becoming blinded by greed and doing something foolish.

Now, seeing their expressions briefly change but then quickly return to normal, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he wasn't afraid to fight them, it was naturally better if he didn't have to resort to violence or take risks.

Han Li immediately reached into the water curtain, and with a "whoosh," the fiery red demonic core shot out, landing in his palm.

The two flying swords, after a clear hum, spontaneously disintegrated, transforming into more than a dozen small swords that also flew back, disappearing into his sleeve.

Han Li lowered his head to examine the fiery red demonic core in his hand. He let out a long breath. One of his objectives for entering the valley had finally been achieved.

At this moment, Nanlong Hou suddenly spoke with a smile.

"We were able to kill this Fire Toad this time, thanks to Fellow Daoist Han. However, let's go check out this beast's lair now. I presume Fellow Daoist Han is also very interested in the treasures on the remains."

"Of course," Han Li replied, putting away the demonic core and nodding calmly.

Hearing their words, the old man named Lu naturally showed great joy on his face.

Immediately, the three of them retrieved the nearby magic formations and headed straight for the cave beneath the giant peak.

Truth be told, Han Li had considered secretly releasing Silvermoon to search for treasures in the cave first. However, these two were also cunning and astute individuals; they constantly paid unusual attention to Han Li. Furthermore, their cultivation level was slightly higher than Han Li's, so if he were to release Silvermoon without any cover, it was highly likely that their spiritual senses would detect her. Moreover, the ancient cultivator's remains seemed somewhat peculiar, and Han Li had other reservations, so after a brief consideration, he abandoned the idea.

The three figures, transformed into three streaks of astonishing light, reached the cave entrance in an instant and flew inside without any hesitation.

Upon seeing the lava lake, Nanlong Hou and the other person were startled for a moment, but then casually looked around.

However, they only briefly scanned the surroundings of the lake shore; their gaze then settled on the ancient cultivator's remains wrapped in a green robe on the stone platform.

Both their expressions turned to one of pleasant surprise!

"It seems these are the remains mentioned by Exalted Master Cang Kun. Fellow Daoists, let us go together." Nanlong Hou, suppressing his smile, said calmly.

Han Li and the old man naturally did not refuse. The three immediately glided over the lava lake and flew directly to the stone platform on the opposite side.

Standing about three or four zhang away from the stone platform, Han Li examined the skeleton on the platform again, a hint of contemplation appearing on his face.

Nanlong Hou and the old man named Lu, however, did not stand on ceremony. As soon as they stabilized themselves, they immediately cast their spiritual senses outwards, intending to locate the exact position of the treasures first.

Seeing this, Han Li's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint, enigmatic smile, but he said nothing.

He, who already knew the ancient robe was peculiar, didn't mind letting the two of them experience it firsthand.

Sure enough, as their spiritual senses enveloped the skeleton, a brilliant blue light burst forth from the robe, instantly deflecting their spiritual senses.

Nanlong Hou and the old man, who had never encountered such a thing, couldn't help but let out a surprised "eh?"

"Huh! This robe is a bit strange," Lu Weiying murmured, a surprised look on his face.

"It's nothing, just a Green Silkworm Robe. It's woven from silk spun by ancient spirit silkworms and can resist spiritual sense probes from cultivators. Though rare in today's cultivation world, it was supposedly a common item in ancient times," Nanlong Hou said calmly, his expression having returned to normal. Then, he extended a hand and made a grabbing motion in front of him.

With a shake of the green robe, it instantly transformed into a burst of green light, detaching directly from the skeleton, and flew into Nanlong Hou's hand.

This revealed the skeleton. A small, dark black leather bag was tied around its waist.

"As expected, there's a storage pouch!" The old man named Lu's face lit up with joy. Nanlong Hou, also somewhat excited, casually tossed the green robe in his hand to the ground and stared unblinkingly at the black storage pouch.

Han Li, who had previously maintained a calm expression, showed a slight change in his face upon hearing the green robe hit the ground, but then immediately returned to his usual demeanor.

"If the two Fellow Daoists are at ease, I will go and examine the treasures in the pouch. What do you think?" In the suddenly tense atmosphere, Nanlong Hou smiled at Han Li and the old man, then suddenly made this suggestion.

"Of course. Brother Nanlong, please go ahead and examine it," Han Li glanced at the leather pouch and replied with a slight smile.

The cultivator named Lu hesitated slightly but also nodded in agreement.

So Nanlong Hou took a few steps forward and carefully picked up the storage pouch. He then roughly scanned its contents with his spiritual sense, his face expressionless.

"Brother Nanlong, what exactly is inside? Why not pour everything out for us to see?" Lu Weiying couldn't help but say, seeing the situation.

Hearing this, Nanlong Hou nodded, then with a flick of his wrist, the opening of the storage pouch in his hand immediately faced downwards, and a wave of white light swept out.

Following this, a large pile of items appeared on the ground.

"What in the world is this?" Upon clearly seeing the objects before him, the old man couldn't help but be stunned.

Most of the items before them were reddish iron blocks glowing with a red light. Each one was scorching hot, appearing quite unusual. Besides these, there were a few other eye-catching items.

A white jade box, a small purple mirror, a small yellow sword, a set of dark green flying needles, and two dark black medicine bottles.

Seeing these items, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression shifting.

Among these items, apart from the jade box and medicine bottles, the rest were clearly extraordinary ancient treasures.

As for the contents of the jade box and medicine bottles, they naturally aroused Han Li's interest even more. Because when he swept his spiritual sense over them just now, he couldn't tell what the jade box and medicine bottles were made of; his spiritual sense couldn't forcefully penetrate them.

"I'm not sure; I've never seen this kind of material before. But it seems to be a refined semi-finished product," Han Li said, frowning slightly, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"Calling them semi-finished products isn't wrong. If I'm not mistaken, these iron blocks should be the rumored spirit materials. They are special materials used by ancient cultivators to forge ancient treasures. I've heard the refining method is somewhat unique; most commonly, rare materials are combined with the power of heaven and earth to form spirit materials. This ancient cultivator must have intended to forge powerful fire-attribute ancient treasures to carry so many at once." Somewhat unexpectedly, Nanlong Hou pondered for a moment, then recounted the origin of these iron blocks as if they were cherished family heirlooms.

"Spirit materials?"

Upon hearing the name, Han Li immediately recalled it being mentioned in an ancient text. After a brief thought, he accessed information identical to what Nanlong Hou had just provided. It was indeed a rare material used for forging ancient treasures. Ancient treasures refined with this material seemed to possess extraordinary power.

After hearing this explanation, the old man named Lu showed a lack of interest. His gaze shifted from the other treasures and settled on the jade box and medicine bottles.

At this moment, Nanlong Hou raised his hand and unexpectedly tossed the pouch in his hand over.

After Han Li instinctively caught it, he was momentarily startled, but then immediately understood the other party's intention. He unceremoniously weighed it in his hand, quickly scanned the contents of the pouch with his spiritual sense, and then tossed the pouch to the old man named Lu.

After a brief inspection, the old man nodded, indicating there was no problem. He then tossed the pouch onto the ground.

"How should we divide these treasures? Does one person simply take two items?" Lu Weiying's lips moved, and he finally asked the question that concerned him most, his face bearing a hint of solemnity.