"My sister and I are indeed Heavenly Fox beings. We are related to the Heavenly Fox Monarch, but only on a very distant basis," Qin Su'er said as she extended a respectful curtsey before inviting Han Li to take a seat.
"Your Great Captivation Technique had to have been enhanced by the restrictions around this place for it to have worked momentarily on me, right?" Han Li chuckled as he took a seat.
Qin Su'er was quite surprised that Han Li was able to glean the function of the restrictions set up here so quickly, and she gained some admiration for him as a result. "You have a sharp discerning eye, Senior! Indeed, this is a shop set up by our Heavenly Fox Race, and we've set up a few special formations within it. The formations won't be able to enhance other abilities, but they can indeed significantly bolster the efficacy of captivation and illusionary techniques. If we had met outside this shop, you most likely wouldn't have been fooled even for a single instant."
It wasn't all that difficult to identify that restrictions had been set up in this shop, but for him to be able to determine that these restrictions could enhance the Great Captivation Technique indicated that he had extensive knowledge and expertise in the art of formations himself.
According to the circulating rumors, Han Li had to have encountered some kind of miraculous opportunity in the primordial world to have reached the Body Integration Stage in just a few centuries, so it was quite remarkable that he had still managed to become this adept in the art of formations despite those difficult circumstances.
Thus, the hint of skepticism and disdain that the woman had harbored toward Han Li as someone who had merely been outrageously lucky naturally immediately vanished.
"Alright, I heard from my disciple that you agreed to meet me here today, so I presume you've prepared the things I want; please bring them out." Han Li was still slightly annoyed that she had taken on Nangong Wan's appearance to test him, but he set that matter aside and cut straight to the chase.
"Of course. After returning to our demon race, I've secured most of the ingredients you requested through various avenues, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with what I've gathered. Mei'er, bring out everything for Senior Han. I had to take care of some troublesome business recently, so I entrusted everything to my sister as a precautionary measure." Qin Su'er nodded in response before turning to the little girl, then back to Han Li.
"Yes, Sister Su'er!" the little girl immediately replied before opening her mouth to expel a faint yellow translucent bead that was only around the size of an egg.
Han Li was slightly taken aback to see this.
"The demon beast materials you requested are relatively taboo items among us demonic cultivators, so we stored them in this special bead rather than an ordinary storage bracelet. This is a half-Xumi treasure that a senior of our race failed to refine, but it has far greater storage capacity compared to normal storage treasures, and it can also be refined directly into one's body, so it's quite secure and discreet," Qin Su'er explained with a smile.
"A half-Xumi treasure? That's quite rare." An intrigued look appeared on Han Li's face as he raised a hand before making a grabbing motion to draw the bead into his grasp.
At the same time, a serious look appeared on his face, and he injected a wisp of his spiritual sense into the bead. In doing so, he discovered that it was filled with all types of precious demon beast materials that were piled up into a small mountain.
There were also some other containers that were undoubtedly carrying some more valuable materials, presumably including things like the inner cores of high-grade demon beasts.
With Han Li's powerful spiritual sense, he was naturally able to assess everything in an instant, and even the items in the containers were tallied in the blink of an eye.
"You've indeed gathered most of the items on my list. I must say, I'm very impressed," Han Li said as a smile finally appeared on his face.
"I certainly can't take all the credit, Senior. I contacted some good friends from other races, and it took all of us an enormous amount of time and effort to just barely track down all of these items," Qin Su'er said with a wry smile.
"In any case, you've fulfilled your end of the agreement, so I certainly won't go back on my word. Please examine these myriad-year spirit medicines and see if they'll be sufficient compensation," Han Li said with a pleased nod before flipping a hand over to produce a faint red storage bracelet, then tossing it toward Qin Su'er with a flick of his wrist.
Qin Su'ers eyes lit up as she raised a hand to draw the storage bracelet into her grasp, then carefully injected her spiritual sense into it.
Meanwhile, Han Li began to transfer the demon beast materials from the bead into his storage bracelet without any hesitation. Qin Mei'er pouted slightly upon seeing this, but she didn't dare to say anything to stop him.
It was quite clear that she felt Han Li to be too overbearing in transferring the items before her sister had even finished verifying the spirit medicines. However, the demon race respected power even more so than the human race, and Han Li was a Body Integration cultivator, so she could only swallow her complaints.
Thankfully, Qin Su'er finished her examination very quickly, and after withdrawing her spiritual sense from the storage bracelet, a hint of elation intermingled with bewilderment appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Senior Han; I noticed that there are more myriad-year spirit medicines in here than what we initially agreed on. May I ask what your intentions are, Senior?" She asked in a hesitant manner.
Instead of answering her question, Han Li asked in a calm manner, "Fellow Daoist Qin, are you aware of the tribulation that's about to befall our two races within the next 1,000 years?"
Qin Su'er's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and only after a while did she murmur, "Are you referring to the devilish tribulation, Senior Han?"
"So you're already aware of this. Indeed, the devilish tribulation is imminent, and in order to ensure self-preservation, everyone aware of this information is doing everything they can to accumulate more power. In a short time, there will most likely be a severe shortage of spirit medicines and materials among our two races. As a precautionary measure, I plan to continue our deal. You and I can continue to exchange for items that we need prior to the devilish tribulation, but next time, I'll be asking for other things that can only be found in the demon race outside of demon beast materials," Han Li said in a serious manner.
"I only unintentionally stumbled upon this information about the devilish tribulation during the past few days. As for continuing our exchange, I would certainly love to. If you need anything, you can go directly to any of the shops opened by the Heavenly Fox Race in Deep Heaven City and leave me a message there. For now, I'll be taking these spirit medicines; thank you again, Senior," Qin Su'er agreed without any hesitation.
No matter how many myriad-year spirit medicines she obtained, the supply would be exhausted in a very short time. A main contributing factor behind her rate of cultivation progression lay in the myriad-year spirit medicines that Han Li had provided her with in the past, so she was ecstatic that Han Li was proposing to continue their exchange.
"Alright, I won't stay here for any longer, then. I wish you luck in finding what you need during the rest of the Myriad Treasure Convention." Seeing as everything had been said and done, Han Li had no intention of lingering any longer and stood up to take his leave.
The Qin sister naturally accompanied him to the ground floor before bidding farewell to him in a respectful manner.
After returning to the shop, Qin Mei'er asked in a puzzled manner, "Sister Su'er, why didn't you bring out that thing? We expended so much effort to get it; wasn't your objective from the very beginning to exchange it for more myriad-year spirit medicines?"
"A few days ago, I would've naturally done that, but I received an invitation slip for the Black Realm Exchange Conference from a demonic senior yesterday; I want to see if I can exchange that thing for something better during that convention.
If not, I can exchange it for myriad-year spirit medicines with that man as a backup plan. In any case, he's expressed the urge to continue our exchange, so I'm not in any hurry," Qin Su'er explained in a confident manner.
"Alright, seeing as you've made up your mind, I have nothing to say. However, that item isn't very useful for us demonic cultivators, but it's like a ticking time bomb in our hands. If word were to spread that we're in possession of such a thing, we'll most likely be hunted down and killed, so it's best to get rid of it as quickly as possible." Qin Mei'er nodded in response, but her concerns clearly still hadn't been completely erased.
"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. This is why I didn't dare to reveal it on all those normal markets and decided to save it for this Black Realm convention," Qin Su'er said in a serious manner.
At this point, Han Li was already on the way back to the Immortal Welcome Palace, and he was naturally unaware that by expressing the urge to continue working with the two demonic women, he had unwittingly missed out on a treasure.
At the moment, he was merely very pleased by all of the demon beast materials he had secured. Now, he was only missing a few types of materials before he could begin refining his second extreme mountain.
The Myriad Treasure Convention had only just begun, so even though the remaining materials were quite precious, it definitely wouldn't be an issue for him to gather them.
However, much to Han Li's surprise, right as he returned in high spirits to the Immortal Welcome Palace, he discovered that he had a guest.
Chapter 1817: Resemblance
“It's you!” Han Li appraised the purple-robed young woman before him with a surprised look on his face. This was none other than Dai'er, the demonic woman who had accompanied the Black Phoenix Monarch.
She was only at the early-Deity Transformation Stage, but it was said that she was extremely beautiful and was very renowned among the younger generation of the demon race. She was also clearly very much adored by the Black Phoenix Monarch as well.
However, she had been quite cold toward Han Li when they had first met on the Flying Immortal Peak, leading Han Li to wonder whether she really was the same Dai'er as the one that he knew.
As such, it naturally came as quite a surprise that she was suddenly paying him a visit.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. Could it be that you were sent here by Fellow Daoist Xiao?" Han Li asked in a calm manner.
"No, I wanted to come and see you for my own reasons," the purple-robed woman replied, and her voice was very pleasing to the ears, like the crisp chirping of a lark.
"You wanted to see me?" Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
"That's right. I would like to speak with you in private," the purple-robed woman confirmed as she cast a quick glance toward Hai Yuetian, who was standing off to the side.
"Go somewhere for now, and don't come in unless I call for you," Han Li instructed as he turned to Hai Yuetian.
Hai Yuetian was very interested in what relationship this woman shared with his master, but he naturally didn't dare to go against Han Li's orders, so he could only forcibly repress his own curiosity before departing after extending a respectful bow.
As for Qi Lingzi, due to the incident with the Long Family, Han Li didn't even permit him to show himself in front of outsiders, so he naturally wasn't present on the scene.
There were people who were aware that Qi Lingzi was an in-name disciple of his, but Han Li wasn't concerned at all even if the Long Family patriarch were to learn this information and seek him out as a result.
He naturally had countless alibis prepared that could completely detach himself from that giant golden ape as two different beings.
After Hai Yuetian departed, the purple-robed woman immediately flipped a hand over to produce a handkerchief that was shimmering with faint white light, then offered it to Han Li with both hands for examination.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and he sighed, "So it really is you, Dai'er!"
This handkerchief was only a low-grade spirit tool that he had given Dai'er when she was only a little girl. It didn't have any value to speak of, and it barely served any purpose. However, Dai'er was very fond of it and kept it with her at all times.
Now that she was bringing it out for Han Li's inspection, it was quite clear that she was the same little girl from back then.
A slightly complex look appeared on her face, and after a brief silence, she suddenly raised her hand before plucking out a smooth black hairpin from out of her luscious locks.
In the next instant, a ball of black light erupted from the phoenix hairpin, following which it transformed into a black feather that was around half a foot in length amid the cry of a phoenix.
Almost at the exact same moment, bright white light erupted from her face, making it very difficult for one to look directly at her. Even though Han Li had cultivated a spirit eye ability, he was caught completely off guard and forced to close his eyes for a split second. Blue light then flashed through his pupils as he instantly reopened his eyes, peering through the white light, and a peculiar look appeared on her face.
After the white light faded from her face, a set of exquisitely beautiful features that resembled those of a celestial maiden were revealed. Setting aside her unique disposition, her facial features alone bore a strong resemblance to those of Nangong Wan.
Anyone could easily mistake the two of them as twin sisters. However, upon closer inspections, differences could be derived between the two.
Nangong Wan's features were more gentle, and she appeared to be more benevolent and approachable. In contrast, Dai'er's facial features were just as intricate, but they were slightly colder and more aloof.
Through his Brightsight Spirit Eyes, Han Li was certain that this was her true appearance, and wasn't the product of any disguise or illusionary technique.
Even now, he could still see a resemblance between her current appearance and that of Dai'er's chubby and adorable face as a little girl, but there was naturally quite a stark contrast.
Han Li stared at this familiar yet alien face, and despite his calm and steadfast nature, he was rooted to the spot, at a complete loss for words.
"Uncle Han, do I look similar to Aunt Nangong now?" Dai'er asked with a hint of a smile on her face.
Han Li forcibly repressed his astonishment as he asked, "What happened? How did you take on this appearance after growing up? Have you seen Wan'er somewhere before?"
"I only learned Aunt Nangong's name from you, so how could I have seen her before?" Dai'er chuckled, and the smile on her face immediately erased her slightly cold disposition.
"Now that you mention it, some of the details from back then are coming back to me. However, I still don't really understand. How did you..." Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly in a hesitant manner, seemingly having recalled something, but was also unsure of something at the same time.
"Back when we were hiding under that pile of rubble, you told me many spectacular stories, all of which were about you and Aunt Nangong. On the final day, I wouldn't stop crying and kept on insisting to see my mother, so you brought out a jade slip that had Aunt Nangong's portrait inscribed on it to try and console me," Dai'er recounted in a soft voice.
Han Li's mind also wandered back to those days upon hearing this. At the time, the city had been destroyed by a beast tide, and he had hidden with Dai'er under a pile of rubble. The memory brought a faint smile to his face, and he chuckled, "At the time, you had a very adorable round little face."
"I recall all of that very clearly as well. I obtained my current appearance after reaching the metamorphosis stage, and my form was reconstructed through the stimulus of my Black Phoenix bloodline. As for why I took on this appearance that resembles Aunt Nangong so closely, I don't know of that myself. Perhaps it's because the portrait of Aunt Nangong on that jade slip had left me with too deep an impression, so I instinctively strove toward that appearance during metamorphosis. As a B
ody Integration cultivator, I'm sure that you're aware that demonic cultivators like us have no bearing on what appearance we adopt during metamorphosis, so most of the process is outside of our control," Dai'er said before biting down on her lower lip in a display of embarrassment.
"I see. In that case, it does seem quite plausible." Han Li nodded in an enlightened manner, but he still couldn't help but feel slightly shaken as he appraised Dai'er.
Not long ago, he had just encountered Qin Su'er and was startled by her Great Captivation Technique, which allowed her to manifest the appearance of Nangong Wan, and now, he was greeted by another person who bore such a strong resemblance to his beloved Dao Companion.
Could this be a sign? Could it be that something had happened to Nangong Wan?
It seemed a little superstitious to be drawing such conclusions, but as a cultivator, Han Li couldn't help but be inclined to believe in such things. As such, his brows furrowed slightly in an involuntary manner, and he became slightly concerned.
At this moment, Dai'er continued, "I've never forgotten what you did for me all those years ago, but there's a clear divide between humans and demons, after all, and I didn't want to cause any trouble for you, so I intentionally gave you the cold shoulder when we first met several days ago. Back when I first arrived at the Black Phoenix Palace, I didn't meet my birth father first. Instead..." Dai'er suddenly began to recount her experiences in the Black Phoenix Race after she had parted ways with Han Li.
The stories were rather mundane, but she seemed to enjoy telling them and had a smile on her face the entire time.
Han Li listened patiently to her recount, and a soft and gentle look gradually crept into his eyes.
They chatted for several hours, and only then did Dai'er suddenly recall that there was something she had to do, upon which she reluctantly bade farewell to Han Li.
Han Li didn't try to keep her any longer. Instead, he imparted on her some words of wisdom as a senior before calling Hai Yuetian into the room to accompany Dai'er out of the hall.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1048