"Thank you for your advice, Brother Wei, I'll be sure to consider it carefully." Wei Wuya's words were extremely genuine and heartfelt, and even Master Sunreach was slightly tempted to take his advice.
"Alright, I've said everything there is to be said, it's up to you whether you want to heed my advice or not. I'm returning to the island now. This will most likely be our final meeting." Wei Wuya cupped his fist in a salute and before Master Sunreach could say anything further, he was already flying back toward the Seven Spirit Islands.
As for Master Sunreach, he remained rooted to the spot with a contemplative look on his face.
After a long while, he finally heaved a faint sigh and also flew into the distance as a streak of white light. However, he was flying directly toward the State of Xi!
He still wanted to see Han Li's power with his own eyes before he made his decision.
If this new great cultivator really was as fearsome as the rumors suggested, then he would immediately heed Wei Wuya's advice and go into seclusion to try and reach the Deity Transformation Stage.
A month later, another piece of news began to circulate throughout the Heavenly South Region. It was said that Master Sunreach had visited the Drifting Cloud Sect in person, only to depart after only half a day. Following his return to the Great Truth Sect, he suddenly announced that he was going into seclusion for an indefinite period of time.
This piece of news naturally drew further speculation from the sects within the Heavenly South Region. However, at this point, even the most dimwitted cultivators could figure out that this grand elder of the Great Truth Sect had definitely no been able to come out on top against Han Li. Otherwise, why he put on such a display of weakness as soon as he returned to his sect?
As such, Han Li's reputation as the number one cultivator in the Heavenly South Region had well and truly been cemented. The Drifting Cloud Sect's influence also began to expand drastically and within the short span of a few months, they had taken over most of the State of Xi. All of the other cultivation sects in the State of Xi either had to concede to them, or re-establish their sects in another nation.
Due to the fact that the Ancient Sword Sect and the Hundred Possibilities Pavilion were also situated on the Dreamcloud Mountains, they were spared from this assimilation process and also managed to expand their forces as well. However, they had virtually become subsidiaries to the colossus that was the Drifting Cloud Sect, and they were constantly basking in a mixture of pain and pleasure.
...
In a cave abode within the interconnected peaks of the Drifting Cloud Sect, Han Li sat with his eyes tightly shut and his legs folded inside a secret chamber. There was a massive formation that had been carved onto the ground, at the very center of which a pair of snowy white wings was hovering in the air. There were arcs of silver lightning flashing incessantly over their surface, but at the same time, they had been enshrouded within a ball of azure and white flames.
With each and every revolution, immeasurable and dense layers of runes would emerge on the surface of the wings.
Han Li was making hand seals to activate the formation spell, which was unleashing azure and white pillars of fire that were constantly refining the wings.
After an indeterminate period of time, Han Li withdrew his hand seals and opened his eyes. He looked at the wings rotating slowly within the flames and pointed a finger toward it.
The wings immediately shuddered as azure light erupted from within. The silver arcs of lightning running along its surface also rumbled violently, creating an astonishing commotion.
However, Han Li's brows were slightly furrowed with discontentment.
After a brief pause, he suddenly opened his mouth and expelled a small azure cauldron from within. The cauldron spun around in the air before landing on the ground before him.
"What is it now? I've already elaborated on the refinement method for you on more than one occasion," a faint sight sounded from within the cauldron. The voice was clearly very tender, yet the tone being used was very mature and jaded, creating quite an amusing contrast.
However, Han Li was not amused at all as he said in a cold voice, "I've already infused the Kun Peng feather into the Thunderstorm Wings in accordance to your refinement method. It's able to use wind-attribute spiritual power now, but it's only about as powerful as a spirit treasure replica like the Triflame Fan; it's nowhere near as powerful as you had proclaimed it would be. Were you intentionally lying to me?"
Han Li's expression was extremely dark.
"That's impossible! The Kun Peng feather is an extraordinary treasure; how could it have only resulted in such a minimal enhancement effect? Let me see the Thunderstorm Wings you're refining first." Spiritual light shimmered on the lid of the cauldron and a faint humanoid figure emerged. It was none other than the projection materialized by the Endless Sky Beast.
Han Li didn't say anything as he waved a hand toward the wings.
The Thunderstorm Wings shot forth as a streak of azure and white light before hovering above the small child's head.
The small child looked up at the wings with an intense unblinking gaze. His expression changed from time to time as he made certain observations, and only after a long while did he close his eyes in deep thought.
The small child opened his eyes again, and remarked, "I know what happened. This Kun Peng feather is far more difficult to refine than I'd anticipated. We've infused it into the wings, but the power of the wind-related heavenly laws of the world within haven't been completely captured. As such, it only possesses the power of a spirit treasure replica and isn't even close to a Divine Spirit Treasure."
"Then how do I capture that power?" Han Li asked in a cold voice.
"If you want to activate the power, you'll have to either switch to a wind-attribute cultivation art, which you should be able to do at your current cultivation base, or find a top-grade wind-attribute spirit stone," the small child replied.
"Switching to a wind-attribute cultivation art or finding a wind-attribute top-grade spirit stone; I can do neither of those," Han Li immediately replied.
"Then there's nothing I can do. Perhaps there are other ways, but there's no way that those methods would be viable here in the human world, so it would only be a waste of time for me to elaborate on them," the small child said in a resigned manner.
"Hmph, so what you're saying is, my refinement method was correct, yet your predictions were wrong," Han Li accused.
"Er, that does appear to be the case." An awkward expression finally appeared on the small child's face.
A light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and his expression suddenly eased as he said, "So be it. I'm already satisfied with the Thunderstorm Wings' ability to activate the powers of wind and lightning at the same time. If it really did become as powerful as you proclaimed it would, I wouldn’t be able to handle it with my current power level anyway."
The small child faltered upon hearing this before a suspicious look appeared in his eyes.
In terms of cultivation base, this human cultivator was nothing to him. However, he knew that this man was not the kind of person to so graciously accept the under-delivery of a promise to him.
The small child stared at Han Li for a short while before deciding to take the initiative. "If you have some conditions, then state them. I can consider doing you a favor or two to make up for this error in judgment."
"Seeing as you've already made the offer, I have no choice but to accept," Han Li replied with a smile.
The small child rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
Han Li patted his storage pouch and a burst of azure light erupted from within. After the light receded, a few strange objects had appeared before Han Li.
There was a fist-sized clump of transparent gluey substance, three shiny black crystals, one of which was big while the other two were smaller, a black and white bead, and pitch-black thumb-sized eyeball.
Han Li pointed at these items, and said, "These materials
are all items that I've obtained my chance, but I'm unable to identify how they can be applied in practical usage. You're from a higher realm so you must be more knowledgeable and experienced than I am. I was hoping that you could provide me with some guidance."
"Huh? Where did you get these materials? The other ones aren't really all that noteworthy, but these two are quite rare even in the Spirit Realm." A hint of surprise appeared on the small child's face as he feigned a grabbing motion, upon which two objects immediately flew toward him.
Chapter 1180: Fire Spirit Threads and the Law Destruction Eye
Han Li turned to discover that the Endless Sky Beast's attention had been drawn to the transparent substance and that inky-black eyeball.
"Do you recognize what they are?"
"Please tell me how you obtained these two items first, Fellow Daoist Han." The small child turned to Han Li with a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.
"I found one of them in a fire cauldron that had been burning for an indefinite number of years, while the other one is the third eye of a three-yed demon beast," Han Li replied.
"That makes sense; it's exactly as I thought, then." The small child nodded as if he had expected that response. He picked up the ball of transparent substance first, and introduced, "This thing from that fire cauldron is known as the Fire Spirit Threads, and they're an exceptional material for refining fire-attribute armor, which are quite rare even in the Spirit Realm. Its true form is an even rarer form of Yin-type ore and if it were to be constantly heated by scorching flames and melted as a result, it would form this type of substance."
"Fire Spirit Threads!" Han Li looked at the transparent substance in the small child's hands, and a peculiar look appeared on his face.
This was the first time that he had ever heard of this substance, but no matter how he looked at it, it didn't appear to be in a thread-like form at all.
A hesitant look then appeared on the small child's face as he said, "This is not the Fire Spirit Threads' final form. It's going to require a cultivator who specializes in fire-attribute cultivation arts to refine this substance into strands before it reaches that stage. Hehe, that's something that's going to be beyond you. Fire Spirit Threads are a rare treasure in itself, and it can either be used as a material or refined directly into weapons. If you were to refine them into weapons, their powers wouldn't be inferior to that of the average flying sword. However, what's rather strange is that this type of Fire Spirit Threads should be faint blue in color, yet your one here is semi-transparent. It seems to be a little different from how I remember it to be."
A thought occurred to Han Li, and his expression changed slightly as he asked, "Oh, I see. How long would it normally take for this kind of substance to form over flames?"
"The reason why this material is quite rare is precisely because it takes a long time to form. At a minimum, it'll take over 100 years and at most, it can even take up to several centuries. Normally speaking, the longer this process, the smaller the material's mass will become, but it'll also increase in purity," the small child explained.
"I see!" A flash of enlightenment appeared in Han Li's eyes.
"What is it? Have you thought of something?" The small child looked at Han Li with a curious expression.
"Nothing much. Tell me about the other thing." Han Li smiled and didn't reveal anything as he turned his attention to that eyeball.
The small child's expression darkened slightly, but he decided not to pry any further into the matter in the end. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the black eyeball and said, "This eyeball is an extraordinary treasure and even I'm quite drawn to it. It's a pity that only my avatar had descended into this world and this treasure's attributes aren't right for me, either. If I were to cultivate it, the benefits I would derive would be limited, yet it could damage my spiritual sense."
"Is this eyeball really such a big deal?" Han Li faltered upon hearing the small child's words and a skeptical look appeared on his face. Back when he had slain that three-eyed demon beast, he had felt that this eyeball was indeed rather special. However, he didn't think that it was anywhere near as important a treasure as the Endless Sky Beast was proclaiming it to be.
"Hmph, you don't know anything! You've heard about heavenly true spirits like dragons and Qilins, right?"
"Of course I've heard of them. Those heavenly spirit beasts have long ceased to exist in our human world, but there have been many stories passed down about them. Does this eyeball have something to do with them?" Han Li was very surprised to hear this.
The small child explained with a serious expression, "No, but it's close enough. This is the third eye of the Ci Lie Beast, the sworn enemies of the dragons, and this eye is the vastly renowned Law Destruction Eye in our Spirit Realm. This beast has three heads and five tails, and there's only one eye on its central head, which is the Law Destruction Eye. It's said that the Ci Lie Beast will never open this eye on normal occasions, but once it does, it'll be able to directly tear open space and slay enemies through the powers of the eye alone. Of course, this eye on its own won't be quite that powerful. However, if it were to be cultivated using some kind of secret technique, it can be used to unleash some strange abilities. It can be used to directly attack the enemy and see through the majority of illusionary techniques. Even movement and teleportation techniques can't escape the tracking abilities of this eye. This is why some cultivators who specialize in techniques like the Heaven's Eye Technique regard this eyeball as a revered treasure and would go to great lengths to try and obtain it."
Han Li drew a sharp breath upon hearing this. He stared blankly at the eyeball in the small child's hand and was momentarily at a loss for words.
"If this was the true Law Destruction Eye of a Ci Lie Beast, then its value wouldn't be far off from the Golden Jade Tome. However, this Law Destruction Eye doesn't appear to be very pure. Looks like the three-eyed demon beast that you killed wasn't a true Ci Lie Beast, but was only a spirit beast that inherited a part of the Ci Lie Beast's bloodline. Also, it appears that you extracted the eyeball before it had a chance to grow into full maturity. Hehe, I don't know whether to congratulate you on your luck or lament your loss," the small child sighed with a shake of his head.
"What do you mean by that?" Han Li asked.
"It's very simple. If this were the eyeball of a mature Ci Lie Beast, then it would naturally be impossible for someone of your cultivation base to cultivate the Law Destruction Eye. However, seeing as it's not a fully mature eye, you can give it a try, but the Law Destruction Eye that you attain from cultivating this eye won't be anywhere near as powerful. Also, this eye isn't the eye of a true Ci Lie Beast, so the abilities that you'll attain from cultivating it will also be slightly different from those of the true Law Destruction Eye," the small child explained in a serious manner.
"So you're saying that the abilities of this eye will be far inferior compared to those of the Law Destruction Eye?" Han Li asked.
"Normally speaking, that would be the case, but this is not without exceptions. I recall that the Scorching Heaven Demon King of the Spirit Realm's Nine Spirit Mountains seemed to have inherited part of a Fire Qilin's bloodline, but the True Fire abilities he attained were quite fearsome even to a true Fire Qilin. However, these cases are extremely rare, but if I recall correctly, you seem to be planning on sneaking over to the Spirit Realm through a spatial node. In that case, you're going to have to cultivate this Law Destruction Eye." A hint of a smile appeared on the small child's face.
"Why's that?" Han Li raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He had inquired the Endless Sky Beast about spatial nodes a long time ago, but unfortunately, it was also the beast's first time descending into the human world, so it knew a very minimal amount on this topic. However, it was suddenly bringing up this subject again, and Han Li found that to be rather perplexing.
"The Ci Lie Beast can't forcibly travel through spatial rifts to other realms like the Heavenroaming Kun Peng or a Luo Mian
Beast can, but it possesses abilities that can weaken the boundary between realms. As to how much the boundary would be weakened, that would naturally depend on the power of this eye," the small child replied calmly.
"Does this eye really have that kind of ability?" Han Li was truly tempted now.
"Hehe! Once you cultivate this eye, you'll naturally know whether it can grant you that ability or not. Why would I lie to you?" the small child chuckled.
Han Li fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
The small child merely smiled and continued to examine the two objects in his hands while Han Li mulled over the issue.
When Han Li raised his head again, he had already managed to compose himself, and he asked, "Setting these two items aside for now, do you recognize the other two materials?" It appeared that he had completely cast the matter about the Law Destruction Eye to the back of his mind.
A hint of surprise flashed through the small child's eyes upon seeing this, but he still replied nonchalantly, "Those three crystals are Dream Separation Crystals. They're a little noteworthy, but can only be used to refine disposable treasures that can unleash illusionary techniques on only one occasion, so it's not very useful to normal cultivators like us. However, I've heard of a Heavenly Illusion Sect in the Spirit Realm that once offered astronomical prices to purchase these crystals, but quickly repealed this order for some unknown reason. As for whether this crystal can serve some other purpose, that's beyond me. After all, these crystals are quite rare and as a result, their uses aren't very well-documented. As for that black and white demon core, I cannot identify it at all. However, its attributes seem to be very special. Would you be able to describe the appearance of the demon core that it belonged to?"
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