Chapter 926: Surprising Retreat

The Soul-Reaping Sand was truly no ordinary treasure. To refine this artifact, which could defile powerful weapons, the large man in yellow robes had secretly killed countless low-level cultivators, using their spirits and souls along with numerous rare materials. He spent over a hundred years of arduous effort to finally succeed in its refinement.

In previous encounters with formidable foes, the two men had only to release this sand, and they were almost always victorious. Even when confronting powerful adversaries of equal cultivation, this treasure displayed immense power, repeatedly achieving great feats, and even earning them the widespread reputation of "Master Kuangsha." Among unorthodox cultivators, he was considered a renowned senior expert.

This time, his courage to provoke King Xuan, a renowned figure among evil cultivators, was indeed partly due to having this treasure as his trump card.

Yet now, after releasing this sand into the formation to deal with the unknown cultivator before them, it not only failed to harm the enemy but was quickly and effortlessly absorbed by the giant ape released by the opponent. This naturally caused the yellow-robed man extreme heartache. How could he dare to continue driving the sand mist to attack? Instead, he hastily formed hand seals, recalling all the black sand near Han Li. This incident also made him hesitate, and a hint of a desire to retreat arose in his heart!

"Brother Kuangsha, didn't you borrow the Azure Crystal Divine Sand? Let's simply use that treasure against this person."

"Though we don't know what kind of spirit beast this person's giant ape is, it clearly only restrains spiritual and ghostly energy. The Azure Crystal Divine Sand, however, is a pure Daoist treasure; the opponent surely won't be able to withstand it. As long as we eliminate this person, everything can proceed as planned." This was said by True Monarch Tianfeng, an elderly man with a dark complexion, a long face, and small eyes.

For this operation, True Monarch Tianfeng had expended considerable effort and energy. With success seemingly within reach, he was truly unwilling to see it all go to waste.

"The Azure Crystal Divine Sand is a life-saving artifact I begged for with great difficulty, just in case. Old Lady Tianshi has a deep connection with me, which is why she lent me some. I repeatedly promised her that I would only use this treasure to preserve my life. If anything were to go wrong, I wouldn't be able to explain myself to her." Upon hearing this, Master Kuangsha immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum and flatly rejected the proposal.

"But this cultivator before us possesses exceptionally powerful artifacts and spirit beasts. Without that sand, we simply cannot contend with him. Are all our previous efforts to be in vain? Other things aside, that old devil's Heavenly Corpse Pearl is a rare treasure for cultivating our dharma bodies, crucial for us to break through to the next realm!" Hearing this, True Monarch Tianfeng grew anxious.

"Hmph! If the Heavenly Corpse Pearl is important, does that mean the Azure Crystal Divine Sand isn't? This sand isn't something that can be used repeatedly; it's a one-time item. Once used, I'll have no more of this Azure Crystal Sand. Even if Old Lady Tianshi has some connection with me, asking for a second batch would be out of the question. Moreover, the abilities of the person before us are truly unfathomable. There's no guarantee the Azure Crystal Sand will defeat the opponent. If it were to be broken by them, that would just add insult to injury." Master Kuangsha snorted, still refusing to agree.

"But..." Although True Monarch Tianfeng felt there was merit in what the other said, he was still greatly unwilling and wanted to persuade him further. But just then, a fiery light suddenly shot from afar, spiraling above the sand mist before plunging into it and landing in the hands of the yellow-robed man.

"What's this..." The large man held the fiery light, formed from a transmission talisman, in one hand. He seemed surprised. Then, without hesitation, he immersed his divine sense into it.

Just a moment later, the man's expression darkened. With a wave of his hand, the flames vanished without a trace.

"Let's go! It's already too late to use the Azure Crystal Divine Sand. Those useless Seven Sons and Three Fiends were actually forced open by Lady Yuhua, who commanded her corpse soldiers. She's now heading this way with a large number of high-grade spirit corpses. If we don't leave now, we'll be in danger," Master Kuangsha said coldly.

Hearing this, True Monarch Tianfeng was greatly alarmed. Only then did his last shred of hope completely vanish, and he could only reluctantly agree.

The two men then wasted no time. They hastily cast their spells. After a surge of black sand mist, it suddenly flew upwards simultaneously, forming a single mass. It then rolled away into the distance, covering the sky as it fled. The two men, from beginning to end, never showed their faces again.

Han Li stood on the giant ape's shoulder, his gaze coldly fixed on their retreat.

His time was limited. If the opponents continued to pester him, he might have to use the Empty Sky Cauldron again. The last time the Empty Sky Cauldron had absorbed Saintess Tianlan's spirit sand on its own, dealing with this sand mist should also be no problem.

However, the Empty Sky Cauldron was, after all, a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. Although few cultivators outside the Scattered Star Seas likely knew of it, he was unwilling to casually display it. Otherwise, if by chance someone recognized it, the trouble could be immense. Even with his immense magical power, he might not find peace then.

"Fellow Daoist, your divine abilities are truly vast, capable of even breaking through this Soul-Reaping Sand! You've truly opened my eyes. This king thanks you for saving his life." King Xuan Ye, seeing the yellow-robed man and his companions depart with the sand mist and finally disappear into the horizon, breathed a sigh of relief. However, he did not immediately withdraw the corpse flames covering his body. Instead, he bowed to Han Li and spoke directly.

Hearing this, Han Li's gaze finally settled on this ancient corpse king.

The sand mist retreated quickly, but the corpse king's condition was far from good. His spiritual energy was more than a small fraction weaker than when he had first transformed and revealed his true form.

It seemed that expelling such innate corpse flames to resist the Soul-Reaping Sand while severely injured was truly a strenuous endeavor for the old devil.

Han Li's gaze was indifferent, fixed on the old devil without any emotion. Even though King Xuan was no ordinary cultivator, after witnessing Han Li's powerful display of abilities, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart and immediately became extremely cautious and vigilant.

He feared that just as he had fended off a tiger at the front door, a wolf would appear at the back.

Meanwhile, the giant ape beneath Han Li stood motionless, its enormous eyes half-closed, ever since the sand mist had departed. It seemed to be savoring the large quantity of black sand it had just absorbed into its belly.

At this moment, after King Xuan harbored a slight hostility towards Han Li, the giant ape, whose mind was connected to Han Li's, immediately sensed it. With a turn of its eyes, it instantly fixed its gaze on the ancient corpse king. Following this, a very human-like expression appeared on the beast's face; its large mouth opened and closed, making smacking sounds, as if it had spotted something delectable. It wore an expression of pure gluttony.

This look sent shivers down King Xuan's spine, who had been an ancient emperor in his lifetime.

He had just seen the ape effortlessly absorb the Soul-Reaping Sand and naturally understood its terrifying power. Facing this beast, he even felt a faint, innate fear. Although not intense, King Xuan vaguely guessed that this beast might possess some inherent ability to restrain him. He couldn't help but secretly lament his misfortune and became utterly unsettled.

"Although these individuals brought this upon themselves with their actions, I did indeed save your life. What exactly does the 'heavy thanks' you mentioned entail? I'm quite interested to know." Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Han Li finally relaxed his expression and spoke slowly.

He was no gentleman, and with the increasingly severe backlash from the fiendish aura on his body, seeing only the severely injured corpse king remaining, he naturally felt an uncontrollable surge of murderous intent.

Han Li had carefully observed the opponent earlier, sensing a corpse aura similar to that on the Vajra Shield. Coupled with hearing the yellow-robed man address him as "Brother Xuan," Han Li naturally had a good idea of his identity.

This person was actually the Imperial Corpse Refinement named 'Xuan' mentioned by Jin Yuan. Meeting him so quickly was truly unexpected.

However, after forcibly using the Great Evolution Art to clear his mind, he briefly estimated the duration of his sealing ability, the possibility of the opponent possessing several desperate secret arts, and the fact that his Wind-Thunder Wings and Ice Flames divine abilities had already been revealed, preventing them from having a surprising effect. Therefore, even with the assistance of the Soul-Devouring Beast, this ancient corpse king was far from an ordinary refined corpse, and the probability of subduing him quickly was not very high.

Consequently, after pondering for a moment, Han Li suppressed the murderous intent in his heart. However, having saved the opponent once, he naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to gain some benefit. Thus, he spoke without reservation.

"Heh heh! This king may not have much else, but I do have some spirit stones and materials. If Fellow Daoist doesn't mind, you can return with me, and I assure you, this king will satisfy you," King Xuan said with a slight smile, feeling a bit more at ease.

"There's no need for such trouble. I see that golden pearl of yours is quite good. Would Fellow Daoist be willing to part with it as a gift?" Han Li said impassively after his gaze lingered on the other party for a moment.

"Is Fellow Daoist referring to this item?" Upon hearing Han Li's words, King Xuan's expression darkened. But after glancing at the giant ape, which was still watching him menacingly, he reluctantly replied, opening his mouth to spit out the golden pearl.

Han Li nodded nonchalantly, indicating that was indeed the item.

"This item is called the Heavenly Corpse Pearl. It's a type of innate magical artifact that only forms after we corpse kings cultivate the Heavenly Corpse Art. Ordinarily, I would never easily reveal it to anyone. If I'm not mistaken, the two demons from Obelisk Mountain likely came for this item as well. However, this pearl is of no use to me, so Fellow Daoist may take it!" King Xuan's eyes flickered a few times, then he suddenly laughed, pointing at the golden pearl in front of him, which immediately shot towards Han Li.

Han Li was greatly surprised, but his hand movements didn't stop in the slightest. He grabbed at the pearl flying through the air, and a large green hand instantly appeared in the low sky, seizing the golden pearl.

The old devil actually hadn't tampered with the pearl!

Han Li wrapped the pearl in a ball of green light, narrowing his eyes as he carefully examined it.

There was no substitution or trickery; it was indeed the original golden pearl the old devil had offered.