Chapter 927: Double Pearls

Han Li's thoughts raced like lightning, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"Friend, there's no need to be surprised!" the old demon unexpectedly began to explain, a strange look on his face. "To tell you the truth, although this is also a Heavenly Corpse Pearl, it's not the one I cultivate. When I obtained the Heavenly Corpse years ago, I acquired this other corpse pearl incidentally; it's completely unrelated to me. My own Heavenly Corpse Pearl is far too important to carry around; it's still safely stored in my tomb chamber."

"I see!" Han Li showed a hint of understanding. He nodded, and just as he was about to ask something else, his expression changed. He looked up towards the distant horizon and abruptly announced his departure. "In that case, I'll gladly accept this... It seems your people have also arrived, so I'll be taking my leave now."

The old demon was taken aback. Before he could say anything, Han Li was enveloped in a flash of green light, transforming into a green rainbow that tore through the air and vanished.

The old demon watched Han Li's departing figure, his expression shifting between gloom and uncertainty. He remained skeptical of Han Li's words.

However, a moment later, a series of ghostly wails echoed from the direction of the ancient tomb. Then, boundless green clouds rolled in, emanating an overwhelming aura of death.

Upon seeing this, King Xuan was overjoyed. Even if Mad Sand Master and his group returned now, he no longer feared them.

He leaped forward, transforming into a streak of gray light, and flew directly towards them.

Meanwhile, Han Li dared not delay, using the remaining precious moments of his unsealed cultivation to flee with lightning speed. He needed to put a vast distance between himself and King Xuanye, as well as the yellow-robed strongman and his companions who had left earlier. Otherwise, if his magic power became sealed again and he encountered them, he would be in serious trouble.

With Han Li exerting his full magical power, his escape speed was naturally extraordinary. Before his power was sealed once more, he changed directions several times and managed to travel ten thousand *li* in one go, leaving the mountain range behind.

Han Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. After quickly confirming his direction, he calmly flew away from the mountains on his spiritual artifact.

Two days later, Han Li landed at the foot of a desolate, uninhabited hill.

He then released several magical artifacts and established a simple cave dwelling at the base of the hill. Immediately after, he used a set of formation tools to conceal the entrance.

Han Li himself then walked directly into the secluded chamber of the cave dwelling and sat down cross-legged.

"So you plan to cultivate the 'Ming Wang Art' here?" Grand Expanse God Monarch, who had let Han Li proceed as he wished without interjecting a single word throughout their journey, finally couldn't help but ask.

"What's wrong? Is this place unsuitable?" Han Li replied noncommittally.

"Hmph! There isn't even a spirit vein here. If you cultivate at this speed, I'll have long since dissipated into nothingness," Grand Expanse God Monarch huffed.

"Hehe! Senior, please don't be annoyed. I was only joking. I've already gained some insight into the 'Ming Wang Art' on the way here. The first layer isn't too bad; it doesn't require excessive spiritual energy and can probably be cultivated within a year. However, starting from the second layer, the cultivation difficulty doubles. Furthermore, the cultivation method for those layers demands a large amount of spiritual power and absolutely requires a location with a spirit vein. Otherwise, the time spent would far exceed expectations. To eliminate the backlash from the malevolent energy, one must cultivate the first two layers of the 'Ming Wang Art' to barely be able to convert the malevolent energy for one's own use." Han Li chuckled, seemingly in good spirits.

"However, while the Great Jin has many spirit vein locations, every single one is already occupied. Even the poorest spirit veins are claimed by someone. Since I plan to recover my magic power as quickly as possible, I can't choose an inferior spirit vein for cultivation. It would be best if I could blend into a major sect again and cultivate the art discreetly."

"From your tone, it seems you already have a plan in mind," Grand Expanse God Monarch said, growing curious.

"You're right, I do have a target. And I won't even need to bother forging a new identity," Han Li said with confidence.

"Oh! Such a good thing? Do tell, I'm listening," Grand Expanse God Monarch was even more surprised.

"It's simple. Do you remember the land deeds I obtained from the Feng family's secret cave? Among them was another document detailing several of the Feng family's secret affairs. It just so happens that years ago, the Feng family head prepared a fallback plan for their descendants: a completely unrelated identity as a wealthy merchant in Nanzhou. This merchant indeed exists and manages over a dozen reputable shops, but he was merely a secret agent secretly cultivated by the Feng family, a figure deliberately put forth to the public. The real power and the deeds to the shops were still held by the Feng family. Now that the Feng family has been annihilated, this wealthy merchant is still alive. With him as a cover, joining a major sect in Nanzhou shouldn't be a problem. After two or three years, once the malevolent energy is resolved and I've recovered most of my vital energy, I can safely begin searching for materials everywhere." Han Li explained everything without holding anything back.

"Such a thing exists! That's quite a good idea. However, what is your intention in stopping here now? Are you planning to cultivate the first layer of the chant first?" Grand Expanse God Monarch pondered for a moment, finding no issues, but still asked another question.

"I do intend to cultivate the first layer of the 'Ming Wang Art' first. After all, only by practicing this cultivation method can I truly determine its difficulty and identify any potential issues. Also, I want to take advantage of this undisturbed location. I need to first refine that Vajra Shield, and refine the crystallized demon core I obtained at the trade fair into T-needles for later use. And of course, most importantly, I also need to deal with these other two items." Han Li sighed, flipping his palm, and two spherical pearls, one white and one golden, simultaneously appeared in his hand. These were the recently acquired Heavenly Corpse Pearl and the Snow Crystal Pearl he had obtained from the Nine Immortals Palace disciple.

"There's no need to mention the Snow Crystal Pearl. It's a rare ice-attribute treasure that has never been refined by an owner before. If I can refine and nurture it for a while, it will certainly be of great benefit to the Violet-Indigo Skyflame. As for this Heavenly Corpse Pearl, since so many people desire it—even mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators don't hesitate to kill and seize it—it also seems extraordinary. Senior, do you know what its use is?" Han Li asked with a serious expression.

"Such items involve the cultivation methods of the demon and ghost paths. I truly don't know much about them. However, corpse pearls are quite renowned, and I do know a few things. These items are generally formed only when a Corpse King deliberately cultivates them. For cultivators who focus on body refinement, they can actually be considered a miraculous elixir for 'washing the marrow and cleansing the meridians.' After consumption, it can slowly improve a cultivator's physique, allowing for rapid progress in body refinement. With this pearl, it's highly possible to temper one's body to be as hard as iron, like that of a Corpse King or demonic beast. Since this one is called a Heavenly Corpse Pearl, I presume its effects should be even more extraordinary." Grand Expanse God Monarch said after some thought.

"Consume it? Like refining a magical treasure, by absorbing it directly into my body?" Han Li looked down at the golden pearl, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"Of course, you can't just refine it directly like that. The corpse pearl itself carries extremely potent corpse poison. You must first prepare a spiritual liquid to completely remove its toxicity. Although a few of the materials needed for this spiritual liquid are rare, I recall you have them all. So there's no need to go out and acquire them. A large portion of the 'Ming Wang Art' cultivation method is also focused on body refinement. Perhaps this pearl will be of great benefit to cultivating the 'Ming Wang Art.' I'll copy this formula onto a jade slip now; you can take a look." This time, Grand Expanse God Monarch proactively offered to help Han Li, as Han Li couldn't boldly search for materials as long as the malevolent energy on his body remained.

"I see. Then I'll trouble Senior greatly!" Han Li exhaled, a smile appearing on his face.

After waiting for a moment, a jade slip flew out from the bamboo tube. Han Li caught it in his hand and intently examined it.

But a moment later, Grand Expanse God Monarch's voice suddenly sounded a little strange as he asked:

"Han brat, since you escaped from the Mulan Grassland until now, have you forgotten something very important?"

"Something important? What are you referring to, Senior?" Han Li withdrew his focus, asking with a hint of confusion.

"Have you forgotten? What's imprisoned inside that small, Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure cauldron of yours!" Grand Expanse God Monarch sighed as he heard this.

"Senior, are you referring to the avatar of that Sky-Azure Sacred Beast?" Han Li chuckled.

"Precisely, that beast. Ever since you captured it, I haven't seen you deal with the matter. Could you have truly overlooked it?" Grand Expanse God Monarch let out a chuckle.

"Overlooked it? Of course not. In fact, I dealt with it long ago. It's just that this cauldron can only be summoned outside my body when my magic power is restored. That's why Senior didn't know about it."

"How did you deal with it?" Grand Expanse God Monarch asked with great interest.

"How else could I have dealt with it! That cauldron isn't something I can simply open at will. The last time it managed to open its lid on its own to absorb the beast was already far beyond my expectations. I merely tried to communicate with the beast using my spiritual sense." Han Li said with a wry smile.

"What was the result?" Grand Expanse God Monarch pressed.

"Hmph! That beast descended to this realm not long ago, and it hasn't even fully awakened its intelligence. It's simply impossible to communicate with," Han Li grumbled, somewhat annoyed.

"That's perfectly normal, nothing strange about it. However, since this beast is an incarnation of a divine thought from an Upper Realm spirit beast, it probably won't take many years for its intelligence to fully awaken. Dealing with it then won't be too late either," Grand Expanse God Monarch said indifferently.

"That's the only way then! It's a shame that the small cauldron, similar to the Heavenly Cauldron and used by the Sky-Azure Saintess, also cannot be retrieved. Otherwise, with the power of the spiritual sand it sprays, it would be an incredibly potent treasure. It seems this cauldron is very likely a replica of the Heavenly Cauldron." Han Li showed a regretful expression.

"That small cauldron clearly isn't the type of spirit treasure specifically designed for destroying enemies; it's likely more of a support type. The Seven Flames Fan, however, is an offensive spirit treasure. If you can gather enough materials and refine a replica of it according to my method, its power in combat will definitely surpass that of the Sky-Azure Saintess's small cauldron. What's there to envy!" Grand Expanse God Monarch said with a cold laugh.