Chapter 889: Unforeseen Disaster

## Volume 3, Chapter 6: Spirit Treasure

After leaving Tiannan, he immediately entered the Tianlan Grasslands.

With his cultivation and identity carefully concealed, the initial period went very smoothly. He even masqueraded as an unaligned cultivator, venturing deep into several Tu tribes and exchanging cultivation insights with some Tu cultivators. Until then, everything had been peaceful.

However, after crossing more than half of the grasslands and reaching their southern reaches, he unexpectedly ran into trouble.

In a desolate area far from the Tu tribes, during his routine release of all his Gold-devouring Beetles to cultivate the strongest batch, he coincidentally encountered a Tu elder at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. This elder was chasing an unknown demonic bird, and surprisingly, was controlling a mature Gold-devouring Beetle.

Because the Nicheng Grass was so easy to cultivate on the coral he carried, and he had been doing so for a long time without incident, Han Li let his guard down and didn't set up any high-level concealment formations.

The moment the two sides — Han Li's swarm and the elder's beetle — met, the outcome was predictable.

The moment this high-level Tu cultivator saw the tens of thousands of Gold-devouring Beetles densely swarming above Han Li's head, he was so shocked he almost fainted.

He immediately disregarded the demonic bird and demanded Han Li follow him to meet their Saintess.

Han Li naturally refused such a demand, and his intent to kill immediately arose.

He immediately unleashed several powerful divine abilities in one breath, even deploying his second Nascent Soul, obliterating the opponent's physical body into dust and ashes.

However, something frustrating occurred.

The primary cultivation technique practiced by this Tu elder was incredibly bizarre. It allowed him to split his Nascent Soul into seven separate entities, each proficient in wood-style escape arts.

Momentarily careless, he allowed one of them to escape.

At this point, Han Li knew he had certainly stirred up a hornet's nest. Daring not to delay for a moment, he traveled overnight, fleeing southward using his escape technique.

However, he didn't know how the Tu cultivators communicated. Just a few days after he fled, numerous high-level cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage appeared on his path, blocking and pursuing him. Eventually, even one of the Tu's Four Great Cultivators appeared.

After fighting several battles, though he managed to kill a few high-level cultivators, he was severely wounded by the Great Cultivator's strike while distracted. Had he not continuously used the Blood Shadow Escape, powered by the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid, he would likely have perished there.

Although he escaped with his life and temporarily shook off his pursuers using some minor tricks, Han Li discovered that his real troubles had just begun.

Perhaps due to the severe drain on his vital energy from several battles, the malevolent energy, which should have only flared up much later, unexpectedly backfired prematurely.

Fortunately, his spiritual sense was powerful, and he reacted quickly enough to forcibly suppress it using a secret technique.

This compounded the difficulty of the situation.

Left with no choice, he could only consult with the Great Evolution Divine Monarch for a solution.

True to his reputation as a ten-thousand-year-old monster, the Great Evolution Divine Monarch immediately taught him the Five Ghosts Soul Lock technique. He explained that while it could temporarily seal the malevolent energy, the consequences were extremely severe: nine-tenths of his cultivation would be completely sealed within his body until he found a way to dispel the malevolent energy. Otherwise, if he rashly tried to use his magic power, both the malevolent energy and the Five Ghosts would backlash simultaneously, leaving him in a life-or-death dilemma.

Han Li was well aware of the risks involved, and even after obtaining the method, he hesitated to use it.

However, when he flew to this location to escape his pursuers, the malevolent energy fiercely backlashed again, far more violently than the previous time, making it impossible to suppress with his own cultivation alone!

In desperation, Han Li hurriedly landed among the bushes. Without even enough time to set up a defensive formation, he applied the Five Ghosts Soul Lock as a last resort.

When the Heron Tribe group arrived, Han Li was already in the final stages of applying the technique. As the young man named Tu Meng pushed aside the bushes, Han Li's face was shifting into the appearance of one of the Five Ghosts, as he was merely concluding his practice.

The ghastly and terrifying ghost face naturally frightened the young man severely. He probably still believes that the ghost face is Han Li's true appearance.

Thinking of this, Han Li couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"Although the malevolent energy is temporarily under control, with so much of my cultivation sealed, the situation is still far from ideal. It's fortunate that I've blended into this group traveling to the Tianlan Sacred Temple for tribute; I should be safe for a while," Han Li murmured to himself.

"Heh heh! Although your cultivation is sealed, and you can't freely control your flying swords and ancient treasures, you still have your Gold-devouring Beetles and your second Nascent Soul. These two are unaffected and are enough to deal with ordinary cultivators. If you hadn't left the newly refined Nascent Soul-level puppet with your Senior Martial Brother Lu, and most of your Core Formation stage puppets with your concubine before leaving Fallen Cloud Sect, your situation would be better now. Mechanical puppets are perfectly suited for self-preservation in your current state."

The Great Evolution Divine Monarch said with a cold laugh.

"I don't know when I'll be able to return to Tiannan after this departure. Naturally, I needed to set up some contingencies for the sect and Wan'er. Even if Senior Martial Brother Cheng isn't around soon, with the assistance of that Nascent Soul-level puppet, Senior Martial Brother Lu should be able to manage. Furthermore, with the aid of Mu Peiling's giant turtle puppets, it will be even more secure. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to travel to Dajin with peace of mind," Han Li said calmly.

"If you think that way, then don't complain about any dangers," the Great Evolution Divine Monarch said with a hint of disapproval.

Han Li fell silent, but after a moment, his expression changed, and he asked again:

"After applying this Five Ghosts Soul Lock, is there no way to temporarily lift it? My second Nascent Soul and Gold-devouring Beetles are certainly no match for Core Formation stage opponents. But encountering a Nascent Soul-level opponent would be dangerous. And who knows how long it will take to find a way to dispel the malevolent energy."

"Temporary release? That's certainly not possible for others. But with so many rare treasures on you, it's not impossible for you. However, the price you'd pay wouldn't be light," the Great Evolution Divine Monarch said slowly, seemingly pausing for a moment.

"What price? As long as it doesn't affect my future cultivation, I can accept it. It's better than losing my life at a crucial moment," Han Li said without hesitation.

"Since you've said so, it's quite simple. Each time you unseal it, you'll need two drops of the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid from your possession. I'll also teach you another secret technique to divert the Five Ghosts and temporarily neutralize the malevolent energy in your body. This way, depending on the situation, you'll have roughly one hour of recovered magic power. Once the time is up, the Five Ghosts will consume the spiritual energy from the liquid and re-seal your magic power. However, with each unsealing, the malevolent energy in your body will invade your mind a little more. After a certain number of times, the malevolent energy's backlash will become so fierce that even the Five Ghosts won't be able to control it."

The Great Evolution Divine Monarch, without holding back, explained all the advantages and disadvantages involved.

"Although the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid is rare, it's nothing compared to saving my life. The intensified backlash of malevolent energy isn't good. Will it be more troublesome to dispel the malevolent energy in the future?" Han Li asked with a somber voice after a brief consideration.

"It will certainly be more troublesome to dispel the malevolent energy in the future. And given your situation, I estimate you'll be able to unseal it at most five or six times before the Five Ghosts lose control. You should carefully consider the pros and cons."

"What's there to think about? When it truly comes down to a life-or-death situation, I naturally won't be able to worry about such things. Senior, please impart this method to me first," Han Li said decisively, clearly understanding the matter.

"I will only say this cultivation method once, so remember it well!" The Great Evolution Divine Monarch didn't say much more, then directly transmitted the cultivation method via spiritual sense.

Han Li closed his eyes tightly, concentrating intently to commit it to memory.

"Alright, it seems this cultivation technique isn't difficult. I should be able to comprehend it in just a few days," Han Li opened his eyes and said calmly.

"Of course. It's just a common unsealing cultivation technique, so how complicated could it be! Anyway, Han, my boy, are you really planning to follow this group to the Tianlan Sacred Temple? You should know that a grand event like that will surely gather many Tu cultivators," the Great Evolution Divine Monarch asked curiously.

"Senior, you must have heard the proverb that the most dangerous place is the safest, right? If I wanted to hide, I could easily find a place in the wilderness to lie low, and I'm confident I wouldn't be found for some time. But now, with the malevolent energy plaguing me, I need to rush to Dajin. And those pursuers are probably looking for me alone. Wandering around alone like this would be too unwise; it's better to blend in near their Sacred Temple. There are many cultivators there, and the pursuers won't be able to check everyone individually. After these past few months living on the grasslands, I'm confident I can masquerade as a low-level cultivator without revealing any flaws. Everything else will have to be dealt with as it comes. Anyway, the Sacred Temple's direction is exactly on the way to Dajin," Han Li casually explained.

"It seems you've made up your mind. In that case, I won't interfere," the Great Evolution Divine Monarch chuckled, then his voice abruptly ceased.

Hearing this, Han Li sighed, but then immediately remembered something.

"Silvermoon, how are you doing? You were quite injured in the battle a few days ago."

"Thank you for your concern, Master. As a tool spirit, I myself am not severely affected. However, my fox spirit body sustained considerable damage, so I may not be able to greatly assist Master for some time," Silvermoon's faint voice replied.

"It's alright. I will proceed carefully during this period. I won't need you to take action. Please rest well," Han Li said gently, feeling relieved.

"Yes, Master!" Silvermoon seemed truly weak, and after a strained reply, she also fell silent.

Han Li frowned deeply, a bitter smile on his face.

After quietly meditating in the carriage for a while, he suddenly swept his hand over his storage pouch. A half-foot-sized jade box appeared in his hand, adorned with several white, shimmering talismans, suggesting something was sealed inside.

Han Li gently stroked the talismans on the jade box with a few fingers, his expression fluctuating between light and shadow.