In spite of the clamor of the eccentrics speaking of how to make use of spell formation tools and deal with the troublesome spirit technique formations of the Moulan, Han Li’s mind had already wandered off as he pondered about the Auric Essence.
To tell the truth, Han Li had been dissatisfied with the might of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. It wasn’t that his flying swords were inferior to the might of his fellow cultivators, but rather they were too weak in the face of the enemies that he had encountered.
If he faced weak opponents, he wouldn’t have to use them. He would use the Azure Essence Swordstreaks to deal with them. But against towering opponents, his flying swords would prove quite meager.
But with the Azure Essence Sword Art’s last recorded divine ability, the Aureate Sword Formation, Han Li’s Bamboo Cloudsward Swords would be able to contend against a late Nascent Soul cultivator for some time, even if he could only muster a small portion of its complete power.
As for the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he hadn’t personally witnessed any of its actual power. As he only heard endless praise of it from Silvermoon, he started to grow doubtful of it.
Because the Aureate Sword Formation was a great divine ability that would allow him to establish himself in the cultivation world, he needed to acquire a large quantity of it in order to make use of the formation. However, Han Li felt uncertain about participating in the wagered match for it. With some thought, he decided to first see how much Auric Essence was being offered before deicing. If it was enough Auric Essence for him to refine the Aureate Formation, he may find himself agreeing.
So long as his opponent wasn’t one of the Moulan Divine Sages, he felt he had nothing to fear. Even if the Moulan were to engage in any trickery during the wagered battles, he would be able to escape the trifling barrier with his Thunderstorm Wings and his Purple Apex Flames.
With this thought over, Han Li felt calm once more and began to listen to what was being planned.
This meeting was held for nearly two hours under the guidance of Master Sunreach. While Old Devil Concord occasionally added a few words in, Wei Wuya remained completely silent on the matter.
Something worthy of note was how both Master Sunreach and Devil Concord had highly valued Long Han. Whenever a matter related to the Heavenly Dao Alliance came up, they had always asked for his opinion. It appeared to be true that Long Han was able to contend against the three great cultivators together with his wife.
Just as the discussion was about to come to a close, the cultivators who weren’t participating in the wagered battle were given a few specific duties. Afterwards, Master Sunreach called the end of the meeting and bid everyone farewell, wishing them to properly prepare for what was to come. However, there were still three cultivators that hadn’t left, one of them being Han Li.
As for the other two, they were Devil Cloudpart and a gorgeous woman with a bloodless complexion. The woman had remained silent in the previous discussion as Han Li did.
Chapter 760: The Icefrost Silkworms and Auric Essence
Once most of the others left, Devil Concord expressionlessly said, “Junior Martial Brother, follow me! There is something I must say to you alone!” He then walked out of the hall without turning back.
Devil Cloudpart’s gaze wandered for a moment and silently followed him after some hesitation. It seemed he greatly feared the large black-robed man.
Master Sunreach waited until the Devil Concord and Devil Cloudpart departed before facing Han Li and the pale woman. “Fellow Daoists Han and Bai, let’s have a proper chat. How about you first take a look at the items you want and then decide whether or not you’ll be participating in the wagered battles. This humble Daoist understands your reasoning. After all, this matter will be extremely dangerous. If there isn’t a proper reward, no one would take the risk. But regardless if these items are to your satisfaction, I hope you two Fellow Daoists will be participating in the wagered battles.”
Wei Wuya simply stood to the side and held his hands behind his back. He was calmly examining the two.
When they heard Master Sunreach, Han Li didn’t reply. Rather, the gorgeous pale woman frowned and said, “I am a woman who treads the solitary path. I do not care whether the Moulan invades the Heavenly South or the other way around. Were it not for your message speaking of this item, I wouldn’t have emerged from seclusion. Let’s get the ugly matters out of the way first. If what you have is not to my satisfaction, I will leave without reservations.”
Master Sunreach wasn’t angered at her cold words, and instead replied with a warm tone, “Fellow Daoist Bai, there is no need for this! Although I was somewhat mistaken for what happened in the past, in truth I was doing what was best for you.”
The woman’s expression sank and she coldly snorted, “I am the judge of whether or not it was mistaken! Enough of the past; bring out the item.”
When Han Li heard this, he felt shocked despite his calm exterior. This woman surnamed Bai seemed to have a dispute of some sort, perhaps due to a past relationship.
When Master Sunreach saw the woman’s angered expression, he could only helplessly shake his head and took out a white jade box from his storage pouch.
It appeared rather ordinary as if made of common materials. But in the instant it appeared, the entire room dropped in temperature as if they were in the dead of a harsh winter. Even Han Li, who had long grown unfazed by weather, couldn’t help but feel unwell in the face of such cold.
The woman surnamed Bai revealed excitement upon sensing the icy cold that the box emitted.
At that moment, Master Sunreach wordlessly offered the jade box to the woman. After she took it into her hands, she opened it, revealing it clearly to Han Li.
They were a pair of transparent crystalline cocoons. They emitted a trace of cold Qi that caused Han Li to frown. They seemed to be cocoons of the Icefrost Silkworms, who were ranked last on the list of exotic insects.
Although this exotic insect wasn’t very powerful in battle, it has an inconceivable divine ability that is difficult to find. If this woman truly required these insects, it was quite possible she would agree to fight in the wagered battle.
“Why are they cocoons? These aren’t fully grown.” To Han Li’s surprise, the woman’s expression turned unsightly upon seeing them.
Master Sunreach replied with a calm expression, “Fellow Daoist Bai, these Icefrost Silkworms were found a hundred meters deep inside a sheet of ice. They aren’t common; they are top grade Monarch Silkworms. Look at them with your spiritual sense. You’ll find that there is something exceptional about them.”
“Monarch Silkworms?” The woman’s expression stirred and she doubtfully swept her spiritual sense past the cocoons. A short moment later, her expression relaxed.
“How about it? While these Monarch Silkworms are still in their cocoons, they should be more than enough for your uses.”
After a moment of hesitation, the woman put away the box and said, “With this, I will be able to fight in the wagered battle.”
Master Sunreach sighed with relief and smiled, “Good. With Fellow Daoist Bai’s Frostcloud Arts, she’ll be able to deal with those trifling spell warriors in a single move.”
Afterwards, the woman expressionlessly said, “I’ll be taking my leave,” before heading out of the hall.
Master Sunreach bitterly smiled and shook his head. When Wei Wuya saw this, he chuckled and said nothing else.
Once the woman left the hall, Master Sunreach focused on Han Li and asked with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Han, just how much Auric Essence do you require?”
With completely open intentions, Han Li said, “I require much of it. It can be said that the more, the better. Of course, since Auric Essence is quite valuable, so long as you two Fellow Daoists bring it to me, I’ll exchange it for an equivalent price. I definitely won’t have you suffer a loss.”
Master Sunreach chuckled. “From Fellow Daoist Han’s tone, it seems he possesses quite a bit of wealth. However, F
ellow Daoist Han should know that at our realm, there are few items that are able to tempt Fellow Daoist Wei and I. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have relinquished so many of our worldly possessions for this war.”
Han Li smiled and said nothing else. Instead, Wei Wuya sighed and suddenly spoke, “Fellow Daoist Sunreach, your tone may be bold, but Fellow Daoist Han was able to escape from a Moulan Divine Sage with only early Nascent Soul-stage cultivation. He is no ordinary cultivator.”
Master Sunreach casually said, “Hehe, I’ve been rude. But regardless of what Fellow Daoist Han plans on using to trade for the Auric Essence, how about he first takes a look at it. If Fellow Daoist truly has an item that can tempt us, we’ll have no objections trading it for the entirety of the Auric Essence.”
He then reached for his storage pouch and a white light flew into his palm, revealing three various-sized chunks of golden rock that magnificently glowed. The middle-aged Daoist handed them over to Han Li in one move.
Han Li’s heart pounded as he directly received the rocks, and he examined them with covetous desire.
The three chunks, one large and two small, were truly Auric Essence. The larger of the pieces was about the same size as the chunk that was auctioned off at the trade meet, about the size of a walnut. As for the smaller pieces, they were about half that size. This amount of Auric Essence should be enough for him to infuse tensome flying swords. However, it was somewhat lacking in quantity compared to what Han Li desired. Despite his calm expression, his eyes betrayed a trace of disappointment.
Master Sunreach was somewhat amazed to see this. Just how much Auric Essence did this man want? It was rather baffling. With that thought, he shot a glance at Wei Wuya.
Having seen Han Li’s expression, he also glanced at Master Sunreach and calmly took out a fist-sized chunk of Auric Essence from his sleeve.
When Han Li saw such a large chunk of Auric Essence in Wei Wuya’s hand, he grew delighted. Although this chunk of Auric Essence wasn’t enough for all seventy-two flying swords, with luck, this along with three smaller pieces should be enough for at least half of them. With thirty-six flying swords supported with the Swordlight Reflection Technique, it would be just enough for a small-scale Aureate Sword Formation.
With excitement in his heart, Han Li caught the chunk of Auric Essence that Wei Wuya tossed to him. After examining it with a deep breath, he said, “Although this may be all of your Auric Essence, it is still somewhat lacking. But it will be enough for me to participate in the wagered battle. Please take a look at these items and see if they are to your satisfaction.”
After putting away the Auric Essence, he took out two differently colored jade boxes and handed them separately to Wei Wuya and Master Sunreach.
They each took the jade boxes and indifferently opened them. Wei Wuya weighted the box in his hand before opening it first.
One of the boxes had numerous scarlet fingernail-sized scales. The other box had a fist-sized jet-black tortoise shell. The two late Nascent Soul-stage cultivators were amazed by what they saw.
“What’s this?”
“Demon beast materials!”
Han Li explained, “That’s correct. Fellow Daoist Wei has the scales of a grade eight Venomous Flood Dragon. As for Fellow Daoist Sunreach, he possesses the shell of a grade eight demon tortoise. Although I don’t dare to say these items are heaven-defying existences, these metamorphosed demon materials are rarely seen in the Heavenly South. They should be more than enough to trade for Auric Essence.”
Although Han Li’s tone was calm, he held much confidence. Grade eight demon beast materials were extremely hard to come by even in the Scattered Star Seas. Although many cultivators head out to the Outer Star Seas, very few were able to see demon beasts of that grade, let alone kill one.
And in the Heavenly South, grade seven and six demon beasts were killed as quickly as they appeared. None are left to ascent to grade eight stage. And apart from a few areas that large sects control, all other areas are devoid of any high-grade demon beasts.
Although Master Sunreach was able to quickly recover from his shock, Wei Wuya couldn’t help but shout in delight, “The scales of a grade eight Venomous Flood Dragon!”
Han Li was stunned for a moment before soon recalling that Wei Wuya cultivated a venomous cultivation art. As the body of a Venomous Flood Dragon is particularly deadly, these scales might prove to have other miraculous uses for him.
Just as Han Li hesitated as to what to say, Wei Wuya hastily extended his fingers and fiddled with one of the crimson scales. After carefully examining them, he began to ponder what there was to gain.
Master Sunreach felt somewhat amazed by Wei Wuya’s loss of demeanor. But after a strange expression appeared on his face, he smiled at Han Li and said, “Hehe! It seems Fellow Daoist Han’s item is much to Brother Wei’s liking. I am also rather interested in the tortoise shell. If these are true grade eight demon beast materials, they will be a fair trade for the Auric Essence as they are optimal materials for refining defensive magic tools.”
Although he felt that Han Li’s words weren’t false, the sword-bearing Daoist found it hard to believe that an early Nascent Soul cultivator was able to acquire grade eight demon beast materials. He naturally had to determine whether or not the tortoise shell was genuine.
Chapter 761: The Profound Goddess Palm
Just as Han Li pondered, he heard a long sigh from Wei Wuya.
Wei Wuya put away the jade box in a flash of light and happily said, “Not bad. It is truly the scales of a metamorphosed Venomous Flood Dragon. This is very suitable for me. There is hope that my magic treasure will ascend to a whole new level.”
Afterwards, he raised his head to shot Han Li an appraising look. “To tell the truth, it is truly surprising to me that Fellow Daoist was able to produce such rare treasures. These Venomous Flood Dragon scales are particularly important to me. Although all we’ve done is trade for what we’ve needed, Fellow Daoist Han still must participate in the wagered battle on behalf of the Heavenly South. How about this? I still have one last piece of Auric Essence. I originally planned to give it to my descendants, but since Fellow Daoist Han requires it, I will give it to you. This way, I won’t be accused of taking advantage of you.” With a flip of his hand, he summoned an egg-sized piece of Auric Essence and tossed it to Han Li.
With the addition of this piece of Auric Essence, he would have more than enough to temper the thirty-six flying swords. His goals to taking out such rare materials had been achieved. It could be said these grade eight demon materials proved slightly more valuable than that of the Auric Essence. If they were take the materials and still have him fight in the wagered battle without further compensation, it would be rather unreasonable.
Of course, their intentions of acting so generously towards Han Li was obvious. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could simply pretend to agree and flee after taking the Auric Essence. If this were only a common trade that didn’t involve the wagered battle, they wouldn’t be able to do much else apart from complain.
At that moment, Master Sunreach finished appraising the item and he wore a slight smile on his face. It seemed he was quite satisfied with the tortoise shell. However, when he saw Wei Wuya give him another piece of Auric Essence, he hesitantly muttered to himself for a moment before bringing out a six-inch-long yellow rootstalk that was as thick as a thumb.
Master Sunreach solemnly said, “From the wood attribute spiritual Qi that is overflowing from your body, I believe that Fellow Daoist’s main cultivation art is wood-attributed. I have nothing appropriate to give you, so I can only present to you a small piece of rootstalk from an ancient rattan palm. It will be greatly useful regardless of whether you refine it into a magic tool or use it to nourish your body’s wood-attribute spiritual Qi. It should be enough to compensate you for the grade eight demon tortoise shell.”
Wei Wuya revealed an expression of astonishment when he saw this item. “Yi! That is...”
Han Li
was initially disappointed, but when he saw Wei Wuya’s change of expression, his mind stirred in thought. An ancient rattan palm? Could it be that Profound Goddess Palm that the Righteous and Devil Dao wished to resurrect with the Spirit Root Tree’s Wine Nectar? Han Li glanced at the item in his hand with astonishment.
Master Sunreach wasn’t surprised to see that Wei Wuya recognized this item. He calmly said, “With Brother Han’s status, he should know of the Profound Goddess Palm that appeared in this world. It is a pity that despite our efforts, we were unable to bring it back to life. In the end, we were only able to divide up the pieces of the rattan palm with the Devil Dao and treat it as tool refinement materials. This is one quarter of the palm’s rootstalk.”
“The Profound Goddess Palm!” Han Li caught the yellow rootstalk and muttered to himself with surprise.
Han Li learned of the Profound Goddess Palm from several ancient records. He now realized why the Righteous and Devil Dao had schemed to resurrect it.
Immortal rattan palms were only a general classifier for these plants. They were merely a vine-type spiritual root that were useful.
However, the Profound Goddess Palm was different. Only a few such ancient rattan palms had the qualifications to be named as profound. Profound rattan vines belonged to a completely different realm, and came into creation during times of antiquity. As such, any fruits or flowers it may produce possessed inconceivable effects that were truly heaven-defying.
However, the Profound Goddess Palm were one of such roots that possessed amazing effects, but as it had perished long ago, its husk was indistinguishable from other rattan palms. Were it not for the explanation that was left behind in the ancient cultivator burrow where it was found, it would’ve been assumed to be an ordinary rattan palm husk.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 408