The woman spoke serenely and her expression appeared relieved. It appeared this matter had weighed heavily on her mind.
Han Li felt moved as he gazed at the box on the table. He swept his spiritual sense past it and was somewhat astonished. He grabbed onto the box and opened it without any further reservations.
There was a faint azure jade slip sitting in the box with a yellow talisman attached to it, and silver lines of talisman characters faintly floated up from the box.
At that moment, the woman gazed at the jade slip with a curious expression.
Han Li raised his head and asked, “Hm? Has Fellow Daoist never seen this before?”
“I won’t conceal this from Senior. Because Miss Xin hadn’t left behind any words that restricted the protectors of the jade slip from looking at it, in a moment of curiosity my ancestor thought to take a look. But after reading it for just a short moment, she spat blood and lost consciousness for an entire day. Soon after, my ancestor used a high grade restriction talisman to restrict any of her descendants from reading it. Although I am quite curious, my cultivation is far inferior to my ancestor’s when she was alive. I didn’t dare to touch it.”
Han Li nodded his head in response. He then blew a mist of azure light onto the jade slip and effortlessly removed the talisman.
The woman was astonished by the sight. She had personally attempted to remove the talisman during an idle moment of curiosity, but her efforts had been completely in vain. However, Senior Han was able to remove the talisman with just a breath of spiritual Qi. His cultivation must be unfathomable.
Having heard that Han Li was a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the past and now he had been able to exterminate the Fu Clan and the Fu Clan Ancestor, his cultivation must be at late Core Formation stage at the very least. It was quite possible he was even at Nascent Soul stage. The woman felt awe emerge from her heart.
After looking through the jade slip, Han Li put it away in a flash of azure light. “Not bad. This jade slip is truly useful to me so I will be taking it. However, Fellow Daoist must’ve waited here for many years for me, and I feel regretful at the matter. Are you living here by yourself?”
Once the woman heard Han Li’s question, she grew excited and eagerly said, “Of course not. My husband is also a cultivator, but his aptitude is poor and his cultivation is similar to my own. However, my son Quanzi is young and his aptitude is not bad. However, he never had an expert’s guidance and was unable to enter a cultivation sect. If Senior could...”
Regardless of herself or her husband, so long as her son could become a disciple of this profound and mighty figure, it would be vastly beneficial. As such, she began to mutter her intentions in a roundabout manner in hopes that she wouldn’t offend him.
When Han Li heard this, he waved his arm and interrupted her, “There is no need to continue. I understand!”
In the woman’s alarm, Han Li calmly continued, “As you’re a descendant of Xiao Mei and have watched over this item for so long, while I cannot take him in as a disciple, I can bestow him a Foundation Establishment Pill and two bottles of medicine pills useful for Qi Condensation cultivation. Your son’s success in Foundation Establishment will depend on his own luck. Once he succeeds in Foundation Establishment, he should have no problem entering a cultivation clan or sect.” Han Li took out three bottles and handed them over to the woman.
“A Foundation Establishment Pill?” The woman rejoiced and repeatedly uttered her thanks. Her previous disappointment had completely disappeared.
Then with a change of tone, Han Li asked, “Ah yes, when I exterminated the Fu Clan, I killed two Devilflame Sect cultivators in passing. Although I don’t fear the Devilflame Sect, I don’t wish to attract any trouble. Does anybody else know of this matter?”
As if aware of Han Li’s worries, she hastily replied, “Senior, please be at ease. When my ancestor passed this matter onto me, no other outsiders were informed out of fear it would bring trouble to Senior. I have always been silent on this matter and mentioned this to neither my husband nor my son.”
“Since you won’t be wantonly speaking about this, I will be paying my respects to their memorial tablets before heading off.” Han Li nodded with satisfaction and stood up.
“Ah, if Senior is about to leave, please wait a moment. My husband and my son will soon...”
Peng. Just as the woman stood up, white light flashed from behind her and she lost consciousness. Han Li had flung his sleeve as if he were already prepared for this and caught the woman in a mist of azure light.
At that moment, the white light behind her disappeared to reveal Silvermoon’s fox body.
After glancing around, Silvermoon mysteriously smiled and said, “Master, why did you have me knock this woman unconscious. Do you feel uneasy about something, or does she just catch your fancy?”
Chapter 657: Profound Nascent Formation Arts
Han Li appeared annoyed as he coldly snorted, “Drivel! I am neither suspicious of the woman nor do I hold malice towards her. However, it would be better for me to erase any memories of meeting me today. If any rumors were to leak, not only would it trouble me, but it would also attract calamity upon herself.”
With nothing else to say, his face glowed with azure light and he pressed his fingers against the woman’s head, employing the Profound Yin Art’s Dreamtear Technique. It would seal a few related memories and falsify them, causing this woman to believe that she managed to luckily acquire the medicine pills from a magnanimous expert. Any memories relating to Han Li would be completely sealed.
This soul altering secret technique was comparable to the Soul Control Technique and the Worryfree Needle [1], given that they were used by someone with far greater cultivation than his own.
However, this technique required that the user possess far greater cultivation than their target. Otherwise, the target would suffer great damage to their soul. As for Han Li, he had no problem using this technique on the woman as her cultivation was far too shallow.
A quarter of an hour later, Han Li was finished and the woman remained asleep.
After placing the woman back in her chair, Han Li took the opportunity to properly pay his respects to Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin. He then turned the Fu Clan Ancestor’s head into ash and secretly left.
...
Back in her artifact spirit form, Silvermoon curiously asked, “Master, what does the jade slip contain? Master seems to view it with great importance.”
Han Li quickly flew into the sky as he leisurely said, “It is a spell formation record from the age of antiquity that describes many grand and profound formations. Even with my current attainments in spell formations, it would take me quite some time to comprehend them. In addition to spell formations, there is a truly peculiar secret art I am quite interested in.”
“Secret art? With Master’s current knowledge and the entire set of the Profound Yin Arts, what secret arts could provoke your interest?” Silvermoon softly smiled, but her voice possessed a heavy curiosity.
Han Li smiled and said, “Have you ever heard of the outstanding reputation of the Three Truths Severance?”
Silvermoon’s laughter instantly ceased and her voice trembled with excitement as she asked, “Could it be that it holds the greatest Daoist Profound Art?”
“Of course not.” Han Li flatly denied.
“Oh? Then why did Master mention this divine art? Are you deliberately teasing me? Of course the Daoist Sects couldn’t possibly allow this heaven-defying art to leak! They themselves don’t even know if this technique is extinct!” Silvermoon grumbled.
“Although the jade slip’s secret technique isn’t the Three Truths Severance, it is a similar type of ability from the Devil Dao. It is called the Profound Nascent Formation Arts.” Han Li’s originally calm expression began to reveal excitement.
Silvermoon paused and said, “Profound Nascent Formation Arts! What kind of technique is that? It seems I’ve never heard of it before.”
<
br /> “I’ve also never heard of this technique before. However, this cultivation art is a genuine secret technique for cultivating a second primal soul. Later, one may even be able to nurture a second Nascent Soul.” Han Li’s tone became solemn at the end.
“A second Nascent Soul! Is this true? If that’s true, it would be considered a great divine technique at the very least, even if it is inferior to the Three Truths Severance!” Silvermoon’s spirits were greatly roused. The greater Han Li’s ability, the closer she would be to her objective.
Han Li’s surging emotions quickly turned calm once more. “I still don’t know if it is true. I’ll have to return to the Drifting Cloud Sect and carefully examine it once through. However, the spell formations recorded in the jade slip are genuine ancient formations. I have a few duplicates of them in a similar jade slip, so they shouldn’t be false.”
“Tch tch, Master’s luck is truly quite good for this technique to be directly delivered to you. However, secret Devil Dao arts may be powerful, but they always tend to favor hasty benefits at great cost later on. The greater the divine ability, the more obvious this becomes. It would be better for Master to have a proper look at this technique and see if there is anything amiss.”
Han Li soberly agreed, “I am aware, and it’s natural that I will be careful. If there is anything amiss about it, then I will forgo cultivating it.”
When Silvermoon heard him, she relaxed but soon appeared baffled as she asked, “Master, it doesn’t seem like you’re flying in the direction of the State of Xi. You aren’t planning to return to the Drifting Cloud Sect?”
Han Li sighed and said, “For the time being, I will not be returning to the State of Xi. I wish to take a visit to the State of Yue. After all, it is my birth country; I have a few secular attachments there that I must sever myself from. Otherwise, there will be worries weighing down on my mind that will interfere with my future cultivation.”
After a moment of silence, Silvermoon agreed, “That is also good. At this stage, Master can only pursue the supreme Dao after he severs himself from all worries of the secular world.”
“That’s enough nonsense for now. I am going to travel as quickly as I can.” Han Li ended the conversation with a cold tone. He then enveloped himself in a streak of azure light and increased his speed by several times. In an instant, he disappeared without a trace.
Unknown to Han Li, in a place far away there were many green-clothed cultivators that were secretly searching through a forest. They each wore a terrified expression.
At that moment, a burly man spoke to the others in a tone filled with dread, “What can be done! It’s already been many days and there hasn’t been the slightest information on the Spirit Nascent. If we don’t find the Spirit Nascent within three months, the sect will send enforcers for us.”
A stern-eyed, middle-aged scholarly man said with an icy tone, “Humph! The declaration to find the Spirit Nascent in three months was merely said in a moment of anger. Everyone knows that recapturing the Wood Spirit Nascent was no longer a matter that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could handle. But if we don’t find even a trace of its whereabouts, I fear calamity will fall upon us all.
A green-robed woman with a common appearance fearfully said, “This matter wasn't even our fault. It was Martial Uncle Ding, the guard of the Spirit Nascent, that sent us away and attempted to merge with the Spirit Nascent against orders. He even died from the backlash. Let’s hurry, the Spirit Nascent’s tracks have already vanished. Although we have a few magic tools to track and restrict it, the Spirit Nascent was far too quick, and we were unable to chase it down. Now that the Spirit Nascent is isolated from restrictions, we are even more hopeless.”
The scholarly man snorted and said, “Junior Martial Sister should leave those words for when an enforcer comes. Fortunately, Martial Aunt Han and Martial Aunt Liu will come to assist us. Those two Martial Aunts have wood spiritual roots. They should have some way of searching for it. However, I am quite curious how someone could possibly control something as fierce as the Wood Spirit Nascent without a special magic tool. It is truly inconceivable.”
“Enough. Regardless of who restricts the Spirit Nascent, we must find its whereabouts in order to save our own lives. Did you not hear the voice transmission that Martial Ancestor Kuang personally sent?”
The burly man frowned and revealed a trace of anxiety as he said, “Second Senior Martial Brother is right. It would be considered good if we manage to preserve our lives. However, the transportation formation along the way was broken and the two Martial Aunts will need two days to arrive at the next transportation formation. Do you think that the cultivator who captured the Spirit Nascent will have left the State of Yuan Wu during this time? After all, we don’t even know what country this cultivator is from.”
“Hehe! Junior Martial Brothers seems to not know. Martial Aunts Liu and Han were candidates to fuse with the Spirit Nascent. Many years before, they cultivated a secret technique in preparation to fuse with it, and are able to sense the direction of the Spirit Nascent from far away. The cultivator that restricted the Spirit Nascent won’t be able to escape the awareness of these Martial Aunts.” The old man spoke with a sullen tone, but his words seemed to hold confidence.
Once they heard the old man, the other three appeared relieved. However, the scholarly man’s eyes brightly flickered in thought and he asked, “Do you think that the person who captured the Spirit Nascent and the cultivator who exterminated the Fu Clan are one and the same? Could chance truly have it that the Spirit Nascent just happened to be captured several days before the Fu Clan was exterminated? Could this person have realized that we had a relationship with the Fu Clan and exterminated them to prevent them from helping us?”
“Ninth Junior Martial Brother, you think too much. Even with such vast abilities, how could he possibly know that the Spirit Controlling Sect had a relationship with the Fu Clan. It was most likely just a coincidence,” the woman shook her head. But after some further thought, she became doubtful, “However, for there to be two Nascent Soul cultivators to appear in the same place isn’t very likely. Perhaps it truly is the same cultivator that has done this.”
“Oh! Could you perhaps tell us about this?” A young woman’s lazy voice came from the direction of a large tree. Then in a blur of white light, two beautiful white-clothed women appeared before them.
Chapter 658: Former Residence’s Spirit Well
The four green-robed cultivators were shocked upon seeing the two white-clothed woman that just appeared, but quickly rushed to salute them, “Martial Aunt Han! Martial Aunt Liu!”
The frail woman with a pale face and wide eyes softly said, “That’s enough. No need to be overly polite. Junior Martial Sister Liu and I have heard a bit of what you've said. Tell us about it and include all the details!” Her voice sounded otherworldly.
This woman was Han Yunzhi, a woman Han Li had encountered several times in the past [1]. Although her face was entirely the same as before, her body now appeared fragile and well-developed. Along with her beautiful body transformation, her cultivation had made great leaps as well, rising to early Core Formation.
“Many thanks, Martial Aunt Han. Martial Nephew will obey orders.” The old man in charge of the four green-clothed cultivators replied on the group’s behalf.
Han Yunzhi nodded with a smile and stepped forward. After finding a clean spot on the ground, she took a seat.
The other beauty had phoenix eyes and long eyebrows. She was a beautiful woman with a carefree expression. With a smile, she said, “Your crimes are not light. If you truly are incapable of finding the Spirit Nascent, I fear your master wouldn’t be able to plead for your lives!” Her words startled the female cultivator among the group of four.
The old man bitterly laughed and wore an earnest expression, “Martial Nephew knows that his guilt is inescapable, but we were truly treated unjustly. I hope Martial Aunts will be able to speak a few words to the Martial An
cestor in our favor.”
The woman stretched herself while her lips glistened as she spoke, “Oh? Then how about you give an explanation. The person who restricted the Nascent Soul is now five hundred kilometers away and we won’t be able to catch up to him anytime soon. We are in no hurry for now.”
“Yes, when we brought the Spirit Nascent to the Kunmu Mountains, Martial Uncle Ding used an excuse...” The old man respectfully gave a detailed explanation of the Spirit Nascent’s escape, the Spirit Nascent’s later capture and the Fu Clan’s extermination.
Han Yunzhi calmly listened, but her face remained completely still as if her heart was already steeled.
In contrast, the woman surnamed Liu occasionally revealed a curious expression and her gaze flickered as if she held great interest in the old man’s words.
...
A streak of azure light flickered over the border between the State of Yuan Wu and the State of Yue.
According to information Han Li had acquired, the State of Yue had fallen under the rule of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and their headquarters were at the previous location of the Masked Moon Sect. As for the Tai Yue Mountains of Yellow Maple Valley, it had become the location of a side branch.
After Han Li entered the State of Yue, he flew straight in the direction of the Tai Yue Mountains.
“Nothing has changed!” As Han Li stood on a huge pile of rocks, he felt an expression of faint loneliness.
In the past, he had destroyed the mountain housing his previous cave residence over fear that the Devil Dao cultivators would discover it. Now that so many years had passed, it appeared to have become a desolate area. Of course, who could’ve possibly thought that there was a cultivator’s residence concealed underneath the rubble?
After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li raised his arm as his eyes flickered with white light. Several huge ape puppets were released that began to quickly clear away the rubble before them.
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