The cultivator inside the light sphere seemed to no longer have many pellets remaining. By the time the Ironfire Ants had scattered, it was already too late to shoot a second pellet, resulting in a helpless situation. However, he had also become aware of Han Li’s existence. As he was under attack from the Ironfire Ants, he occasionally glanced in Han Li’s direction.
Han Li indifferently turned away and continued on his path. He currently had no mind to acquire his treasures or waste the lives of his Gold Devouring Beetles. His Gold Devouring Beetles had far more value in this strange desert than ordinary treasures, and he didn’t wish to squander them in vain.
But who could’ve known that just as he had taken his first step, he suddenly heard the transmission of a hoarse, familiar voice from the light sphere.
“Fellow Daoist Han! Please wait! This is Yuan Yao! I must trouble Fellow Daoist Han to assist me! I will definitely express my gratitude afterwards!” Yuan Yao’s voice was filled with anxious panic.
“Yuan Yao?” Han Li suddenly stopped and hesitated for a moment before slowly turning around.
This was truly a small world! In an area as large as the Path of Molten Rock, he actually managed to encounter this woman he could barely be considered acquainted with. Unbelievable!
Since she could be considered somewhat of a friend, Han Li felt reluctant to leave her to die. Moreover, he had initially considered finding her for a secret matter. This was just killing two birds with one stone.
After looking at the dimmed light sphere and quickly muttering to himself, he tossed a spirit beast pouch from his waist and released a swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles into the fray.
When she saw this, she was left speechless. The Gold Devouring Beetles only numbered about a thousand but were able to easily exterminate a swarm of Ironfire Ants that was over ten times its size.
She had finally recovered from her shock when Han Li calmly retrieved his Gold Devouring Beetles, and she quickly put away her blue light sphere.
Yuan Yao’s complexion had paled from the expended magic power, but this only made her appear even more endearing.
Her black robes had already been replaced for thin, well-fit clothes, revealing her graceful, youthful figure. Her body was also drenched with the fragrant scent of her sweat, filling the air with deadly allure.
Han Li was stunned by this, but he soon recovered.
Yuan Yao saluted Han Li with a beaming smile and spoke with a charming voice, “Yuan Yao cannot thank Fellow Daoist Han enough for his rescue!”
Chapter 464: Weeping Soul Pearl
Han Li glanced at her and calmly said, “It was but a minor effort! Now that Fellow Daoist Yuan is out of danger, I will be taking my leave.” He then turned and walked away without any intention to stay.
Still shaken by her near death encounter, Yuan Yao turned pale and was incapable of staying reserved. She hastily said, “Brother Han, I still haven’t expressed my thanks for you saving my life.” The gorgeous woman’s delicate appearance would tug at the hearts of any who saw it.
However, Han Li didn’t turn around and responded indifferently, “I don’t need your thanks. I merely assisted you for a moment and cannot help you the entire way through. Do your best, Lady Yuan!”
After this was said, Han Li was already forty meters away, moving at a breakneck speed.
This only caused Yuan Yao’s pale face to become even more panicked. She no longer possessed the strength to resist the scorching heat, let alone any more Ironfire Ants she may encounter. She was unable to give up as Han Li held the string that her life hung upon!
But as a result, her charming pleas were completely ignored as Han Li walked further away.
She revealed apprehension at Han Li’s indifferent response and could only say what Han Li expected to hear.
She gritted her teeth and said, “Please wait! So long as Fellow Daoist Han is willing to protect me on this path, I will bestow a grand treasure to you. Your magic power won’t be used in vain.”
“A grand treasure?” Han Li stayed still, revealing slight hesitation.
Seeing that Han Li appeared interested, she didn’t dare to be negligent. “I still have many Azure Flameblasts that I am willing to give Fellow Daoist.”
“That was the green pellet that you had used a moment ago? It is quite the uncommon item.” Han Li slowly turned around with an expression of deep consideration.
Since he had acted to save the woman, he naturally didn’t intend on truly abandoning her. Besides, he had saved her with another reason in mind; his previous act was merely taking one step back so he could take two steps forward. Now that she had taken the initiative to request his aid, his objective was fulfilled. He reckoned that if he were to demand greater concessions, she would have no choice but to begrudgingly accept.
This beautiful woman clearly understood this. Regardless of whether it was for paying Han Li for his previous rescue or his continued protection, Yuan Yao had no choice but to continue with a helpless expression, “The Azure Flameblasts are firebombs secretly refined by the Devil Dao’s Azure Yang Sect. Not only does each one require a great quantity of rare resources to refine, but it also consumes a great amount of time. Their might is equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator’s Yang Essence Flame. I still have three of them and will give all of them to you.” The woman’s expression grew more determined as she spoke. She extended her snow white hand to reveal three pellets shining with a gentle green light.
At that moment, Han Li unhurriedly walked back over and glanced at the three pellets. He calmly said, “These Azure Flameblasts truly are an exceptional treasure, but they aren’t enough for me to take such a large risk. Bringing you through this path will double my magic power consumption at the very least. Does Fellow Daoist Yuan truly think these are worth that level of danger?” Han Li’s words contained thinly veiled mockery.
Yuan Yao’s beautiful expression fluctuated for a long while before settling on a charming smile.
“Brother Han, please don’t hesitate to state your conditions, as this young woman doesn’t wish to continue speaking in circles. Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han wishes for me to give my heart to you?” Yuan Yao turned her hips and puffed up her soft chest, showing off their exceptional plumpness. Her bright eyes were filled with a peculiar haze that was beyond flirtatious.
Han Li was somewhat stunned by the woman’s gorgeous beauty. But he soon narrowed his eyes and sized up her dainty, well-rounded body. The woman blushed at his unrestrained gaze. Her beautiful eyes became increasingly bright and captivating as if capable of enrapturing the deepest depths of a man’s heart.
Han Li stroked his chin and calmly spoke with a radiant gaze, “As expected, Yuan Yao’s charming technique at full power along with her beautiful appearance is without match! However, since it has no effect on me, Fellow Daoist had best save her magic power for survival instead.”
Tearing off her beautiful guise and halting her charming technique, she flusteredly said, “Humph! What a crude, uncultured boor! You don’t hold compassion for women in the slightest.”
Han Li insincerely smiled, saying, “How could Lady Yao say that? If this weren’t a place as dangerous as the Heavenvoid Hall, I definitely wouldn’t have refused your seductions. But, here we are, hehe....”
“You sure like to dream. If it weren’t this place, how else could I have possibly thrown myself into your arms?” Yuan Yao glared at Han Li with a resentful gaze.
“It seems I’ve saved the wrong person. Since this is the case, I don’t wish for Fellow Daoist Yuan to give her heart to me. And there is also no need to express your thanks for my rescue. I’ll be taking me leave.” As if to deliberately anger the woman, he cupped his hands to her appearing as if he was about to set off.
Seeing this, Yuan Yao’s words immediately grew soft and she returned to being lovingly pitiful. “Brother Han! It was my wrong, please don’t be angry. Please don’t hesitate to say what must be done to receive your assistance through t
he Path of Molten Rock. I will absolutely do as you ask! Could it be that Daoist doesn’t wish to help this poor woman despite being her acquaintance for a hundred years and a fellow companion that accompanied you through the ghost mist? As for treasure, apart from these Azure Flameblasts, I have no other treasures to give you.”
Although Han Li was wearing a mysterious smile, he inwardly felt astonished.
Yuan Yao was a truly fickle person. Standing tall one second, and submitting the next! From her currently powerless pleads, her recent mature, flirtatious charms, to her proud, elegant impression from the very beginning, all of them had given Han Li a distinct, unique impression. How truly strange! As this woman was capable of cultivating to the Core Formation stage from the Qi Condensation stage in only a hundred years, she was by no means ordinary.
With this thought, Han Li started to mutter himself. Yuan Yao revealed a hopeful expression as she nervously watched him.
After a short moment, he looked up and spoke with seemingly great reluctance, “Since Lady Yuan is an acquaintance I had met over a hundred years ago, I would appear truly heartless if I do not protect you. However, I was never someone to work for free. If Fellow Daoist Yuan Yao wishes for me to take her through the Path of Molten Rock, then how about she gives me the Weeping Soul Beast? I am extremely interested in the beast’s soul absorption abilities.”
After walking around so many pretenses and plots, Han Li finally stated what he had wanted from the woman from the very start. With this strange beast, he’d be more confident in working together with the old ghost Bone Sage. From what he had seen, this Weeping Soul Beast was by no means weak.
“You want the Weeping Soul Beast?” Yuan Yao’s eyes widened after hearing Han Li as if she couldn’t believe what he had said.
“What? Will it not do?” Han Li’s expression sunk, and his voice grew cold.
“If I give the Weeping Soul Beast to you, you will take me through the Path of Molten Rock?” Yuan Yao asked Han Li this question word by word as she stared at him with a strange expression.
“That’s right!” Han Li frowned but still spoke with certainty. He faintly felt that that there was something amiss.
“Perfect, then it is all yours.” After Han Li confirmed this, she immediately took a spirit beast pouch at her waist and gave it to Han Li without the slightest hesitation.
Han Li blinked with a nervous heart. Why did it appear that she was actually impatient to give the Weeping Soul Beast to him. Could it be that there is something wrong with the Weeping Soul Beast?
After thinking for a moment, he calmly took the spirit beast pouch into his hand. He swept his spiritual sense inside to see the Weeping Soul Beast soundly asleep.
Han Li nodded his head and put the spirit beast pouch at his waist. Just as he thought to say something, Yuan Yao opened her mouth and spat out a dark grey pearl into her palm.
“This is the Weeping Soul Pearl. It is the item used to control the Weeping Soul Beast. If you refine this like you would an ordinary magic treasure, the Weeping Soul Beast will be forever yours. I haven’t owned the beast for long and haven’t completely refined its pearl. You can forcefully erase the traces of my spiritual sense from it without a problem.” Yuan Yao chuckled and gave it to Han Li.
Han Li looked at the Weeping Soul Peal with interest and didn’t move to take it. This pearl was something that he had known about from Fairy Violet Spirit when he inquired about the Weeping Soul Beast.
He later realized that she was incapable of smoothly controlling the Weeping Soul Beast because she hadn’t fully refined the Weeping Soul Pearl during that time. This had raised his interest in acquiring the strange beast.
But after seeing how she had so quickly given it to him with a delighted expression as if she ridding herself of a demonic plague, Han Li grew hesitant and didn’t hurry to take the pearl.
Chapter 465: Surging Undercurrents
Yuan Yao’s luminous eyes stirred. She chuckled and said, “What? Does Brother Han not want this animal? Or does he fear that I’ve given him a false Weeping Soul Pearl?” Her voice concealed a teasing tone.
Han Li didn’t immediately reply and examined the pearl for a moment before saying, “I can tell it is legitimate from its Yin Ghost Aura. However, I do not know much about the Weeping Soul Beast. Could it that my body would suffer from refining the pearl?”
After Han Li said this, he rigidly stared into Yuan Yao’s beautiful eyes.
“How could that be? If there was ever such a problem, I wouldn’t have personally refined it. However, refining the pearl makes oneself feel unwell. So long as one bears with it, there is no problem.” Yuan Yao had a calm expression and spoke with a uncaring tone.
“Feel unwell?” Han Li wrinkled his brow and stared at the woman for a moment before turning his gaze towards the pearl. He was sure that that she hadn’t been entirely truthful, but he couldn’t make it out as of now. After muttering to himself for a moment, he decided to take the pearl and put it away for later research. If it were truly harmful, he just wouldn’t refine the pearl. So long as he had the pearl, he would be able to control the Weeping Soul Beast all the same.
After putting away the Weeping Soul Pearl, he calmly said, “Let’s go! I will do my utmost to protect Lady Yuan for the rest of the way. But let’s get the ugly talk out of the way first. If I come across a danger that fully occupies my attention, Fellow Daoist Yuan had best flee by herself!” He then touched the Glacial Ice Pearl that floated above his head, causing it to suddenly envelope them with chilled air.
“Of course. I understand what would happen if we were to truly encounter such a circumstance. However, I am quite confident that with Brother Han’s gold and silver beetles, the odds of such a situation occurring is quite small.” The gorgeous woman wrinkled her nose for a moment before revealing a smile as charming as a flower. .
Han Li bluntly admired the beautiful scene before him for a moment before wordlessly turning around and setting off. When Yuan Yao saw this, she followed after him with light steps and a faint smile. She soon walked alongside Han Li, creating a rather intimate appearance.
This was because the closer she was to Han Li’s side, the more cool air that was present from the Glacial Ice Pearl. She naturally wanted to feel more comfortable.
“Now that I think of it, the path of ice and fire is somewhat strange. How could there be a black desert here along with such fierce winged ants? Not only can those ants fearlessly endure magic treasure attacks, they can spout black flames and can undergo swarm transformations. They also managed to break through one of my ancient defensive treasures. If I didn’t have the Green Flameblasts, I wouldn’t have lasted long enough to meet Brother Han.” Yuan Yao grumbled with a relaxed expression as she continued walking. It was clear that she didn’t recognize the Ironfire Ants.
Han Li was stunned by her words. He couldn’t help but ask her with, “The black desert hasn’t been seen before?” He felt that the appearance of such fierce exotic insects at this location was somewhat odd. Apart from cultivators with extraordinary abilities and exceptionally powerful magic treasures, it would be unlikely for even a late Core Formation cultivator to leave the black desert unscathed.
“No! This is the first time the black desert has appeared on the path of molten rock. Previously, other cultivators that underwent this trial merely faced high temperatures and dangerous areas. At most, they would encounter a few flame beasts as well. But these bizarre winged ants haven’t been seen before. Had it been known that such ferocious winged ants existed on the path of molten rock, far fewer cultivators would’ve been willing to brave it.” Yuan Yao replied without hesitation. Despite appearing to know quite much, she remained puzzled by the appearance of the ants.
“If that’s the case, there must be something amiss with the paths of ice and fire!” Han Li muttered to himself with a contemplative expression.
……
“This is completely abnormal. Someone must’ve taken action.” In a
forest of blood red icicles on the path of profound ice, Layman Qing Yi looked at the sky with his arms behind his back.
Countless floating inch-large spheres of azure lights revolved around him, separating him from a dense swarm of several hundred silver beasts that surrounded him. These small beasts strongly resembled mice. Not only was their fur sparkling with silver light, but they also had a small, delicate horn on their heads.
They surrounded the old man as streaks of silver light and continuously struck at him like arrows with their horns. Each of the strikes released a thunderous boom in a display of astonishing momentum. However, the azure lights surrounding the old man’s body remained motionless, completely unaffected by the erratic attacks of silver light.
“Courting death!” The Confucian-robed old man grew annoyed by the strange mice’s attacks. After lowering his head towards them, he swept his sleeves outward with a cold expression. A burst of azure light immediately spread out, illuminating an area of forty meters in blinding brilliance.
After a short moment, the azure light faded away to reveal a ground filled with the corpses of the small, silver-furred beasts. Their bodies were densely pricked by thin azure needles that shone with a cold blue light.
Layman Qing Yi’s expression was unchanged. It was obvious that the outcome was as he had expected. After indifferently glancing at the ground, he extended his shriveled right hand and lightly swept it across the air. The needles flew back towards him as azure streaks of light and disappeared into his body.
“Silverlight Mice! How could these damned animals appear at only the second trial? Could it be...” The old man pondered motionlessly and his expression grew sullen.
“Humph! Since these Silverlight Mice have appeared on the Path of Profound Crystal, the Path of Molten Rock should also have something equally inconceivable. I’m afraid that Youngster Han will encounter quite the problem!” Layman Qing Yi coldly snorted with annoyance and spoke to himself with slight apprehension. Soon after, he deeply sigh, disappearing from sight with several blurs.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 252