One of these spirit insects had arcs of lightning flashing around its body, while the other had a miniature wyrm head.
"That's a Purple Lightning Insect and Earth Wrym Insect! How could you be willing to offer these two spirit insects for exchange?" Golden Flame Baron immediately exclaimed upon catching sight of the two spirit insects.
A bewildered look also appeared on Qing Yuanzi's face.
"Hmph, you don't know anything. In the past, Divine Infernal River Elixir naturally wouldn't be worth this much in my eyes, but now, it's indispensable to me. Fellow Daoist Han, both of these spirit insects have been carefully nurtured by me for tens of thousands of years, and they can each take on an early-Body Integration cultivator. As long as you're willing to give me your elixir, I'll destroy the master recognition marks in their bodies right away and help you tame them. Hehe, even in the Mayfly Race, I'm most likely the only one capable of this," Voidspirit harrumphed coldly, and it was quite clear that he was very reluctant to part with these two spirit insects.
Han Li drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and for a moment, he was tempted by this offer. However, he then recalled that he still had tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles that he was still yet to be able to fully control, and he immediately made his decision.
Even though a single Gold Devouring Beetle wasn't as powerful as either of these spirit insects, if he were to release hundreds or even thousands of them at once, these two spirit insects would stand no chance.
In the face of Voidspirit's stern gaze, Han Li could only muster ups his courage, and said, "Your spirit insects are indeed quite exceptional, Senior, but I already have spirit insects of my own..."
"What did you say? Are you saying you have spirit insects that can compare with mine? My patience is nearing its limit! Don't try to placate me with nonsense or you're going to regret it!" A furious look appeared on Voidspirit's face.
Han Li's heart jolted upon seeing this, yet before he had a chance to explain anything, Qing Yuanzi suddenly said, "Brother Voidspirit, I can personally vouch for Fellow Daoist Han's claims. He really does possess a type of extremely powerful spirit insects, even more so than the spirit insects you possess."
"I know you're trying to protect him, but do you really think you can convince me with such a horrible alibi? He's just a mid-Body Integration cultivator; what kind of spirit insects could he possess that are superior to mine? On top of that, the only people to have seen the most powerful spirit insects I possess are already dead, so how would you know about them?" Voidspirit said in a cold voice.
"Hehe, perhaps you really do possess more powerful spirit insects than these two, but I'm sure you wouldn't be willing to offer them up for exchange. In that case, what you're offering really can't compare with Fellow Daoist Han's spirit insects," Qing Yuanzi said with a smile.
"Hehe, is that so? As I said earlier, I've nurtured 81 types of spirit insects. Aside from the few bonded spirit insects I've completely refined, I'm willing to offer any of them for the Divine Infernal River Elixir. Take a good look!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, a layer of black Qi appeared around him, inundating most of his body. He then made a hand seal and began to chant something, and all types of buzzing and screeching sounds rang out as hundreds of spirit insects appeared around him.
The largest of these spirit insects were comparable to the size of human heads, while the smallest were as diminutive as peas. They were all of different colors and appearances, but the common trait between all of them was their terrifying and ferocious auras.
Voidspirit pointed at the spirit insects before him and introduced them one by one. "This golden-spotted insect is the Vajra Insect. Its body is extraordinarily hard, and even spirit treasures won't be able to harm it in the slightest. The one enshrouded within the five-colored light is a Baleful Silkworm. Its forte lies in its ability to devour baleful Qi, and it possesses such a powerful life force that it's virtually unkillable. Even if you tear into pieces, it can regenerate in an instant. This crimson praying mantis is the vastly renowned Ghost Mantis. Its aura isn't all that powerful, but it hunts in swarms and is one of the most vicious and violent types of spirit insects. They can devour an entire wyrm in a day, and at the height of their bloodlust, even I would have trouble containing them..."
These spirit insects were indeed all extremely rare in the Spirit Realm, and some of them were ones that Han Li had only ever heard for the first time.
What made them even more alluring was that they had all been nurtured to the point of maturity, so they would immediately be powerful allies in battle.
"How about it? How many types of these spirit insects have you seen in the past? I'll make an exception for you, Fellow Daoist Han; I'll allow you to exchange each vial of elixir you have for one type of spirit insect. That should be enough, right? If you turn me down again and don't provide me with a satisfactory reason, then don't blame me for turning on you," Voidspirit said in a slow voice, just as Han Li was inspecting the spirit insects before him with awe and wonder in his eyes.
Han Li's eyelids twitched upon hearing this, and he turned to Qing Yuanzi for help.
After a brief hesitation, Qing Yuanzi said in a serious manner, "Show Brother Voidspirit your spirit insects, Fellow Daoist Han. I'm sure he'll understand once he sees them."
"Yes, Senior." Han Li was quite reluctant to comply with this instruction, but there was no way he could refuse. Thus, he rustled a sleeve, tipping out a dozen or so thumb-sized golden flowers amid a faint buzzing sound.
As soon as these golden flowers emerged, they immediately expanded to become fist-sized golden beetles amid a flash of spiritual light, and they looked as if they had been constructed from pure gold.
"Mature Gold Devouring Beetles!" Golden Flame Baron exclaimed as he stared intently at the golden beetles with a stunned look in his eyes.
Voidspirit shuddered at the sight of these Gold Devouring Beetles, and an extremely peculiar look appeared on his face.
Qing Yuanzi's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing Voidspirit's reaction; this was not the reaction he had expected!
Even though he felt this to be rather strange, he still said, "I'm sure you recognize Gold Devouring Beetles, Brother Voidspirit; you have to admit that these spirit insects are more powerful than the ones you offered, so Fellow Daoist Han isn't trying to irk you, he simply has no reason to accept the exchange. Of course, if you can bring out better spirit insects than Gold Devouring Beetles, then I won't say anything further about this matter."
Much to everyone's surprise, Voidspirit suddenly threw his head back, and chortled, "Haha, this is fantastic..."
His voice was filled with elation, and Han Li was left feeling rather perplexed.
Meanwhile, Golden Flame Baron was appraising Han Li with a complex look in his eyes.
"Brother Voidspirit, you..."
"Say no more, Brother Qing. Let me show you another spirit insect of mine that I have never shown to anyone else."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he swept both sleeves through the air, and all of the spirit insects around him immediately flew back up his sleeves.
He then opened his mouth to expel a shimmering silver gourd, which then abruptly tipped itself over while its lid was removed on its own.
A burst of buzzing rang out, and specks of golden light emerged from within the gourd before hovering in the air.
"Impossible!"
Golden Flame Baron and Qing Yuanzi exclaimed almost in complete unison upon identifying exactly what these specks of golden light were, and Han Li was also completely flabbergasted.
These specks of golden light also contained golden beetles that were identical to Han Li's Gold Devouring Beetles, and they were also buzzing in a menacing manner.
Only after a long while did Han Li manage to repress his own astonishment, and he exhaled as he said, "So you possess mature Gold Devouring Beetles as well, Senior."
"Indeed. Even I've forgotten how many years it's be
en since I first began to nurture them, and they only reached full maturity several hundred years ago, so you can imagine how much time and effort I spent on them. They're also the reason why I'm searching for so much Divine Infernal River Elixir," Voidspirit said.
"Divine Infernal River Elixir works on Gold Devouring Beetles as well?" Han Li asked in a surprised manner.
Chapter 1872: Gold Devouring Beetle Monarch
"You can say it's useful, but you can also say it's useless; it depends on the intentions of the owner of the spirit insects," Voidspirit said with a smile.
A hint of puzzlement flashed through Han Li's eyes upon hearing this.
"If you only want to nurture mature Gold Devouring Beetles, then Divine Infernal River Elixir naturally won't have much effect, but if you want them to advance a step further, then Divine Infernal River Elixir becomes indispensable," Voidspirit explained in a meaningful voice.
"Advance a step further?" A thought immediately occurred to Han Li upon hearing this, and a stunned look appeared on his face.
"That's right. I'll tell you about the specific details later. I didn't think that you would possess mature Gold Devouring Beetles as well. In that case, this Divine Infernal River Elixir isn't all that important to me. I would like to negotiate a deal with you, but this is a rather secretive matter, so we have to discuss things in private. Golden Flame, Qing Yuanzi, you don't mind, do you?" Voidspirit asked in an indifferent manner.
His expression seemed to be quite calm, but the tone in his voice suggested that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Qing Yuanzi's heart stirred at the sight of the cold look in Voidspirit's eyes, and he said, "I naturally won't mind as long as you're not going to hard sell Fellow Daoist Han."
"I certainly don't mind; go ahead, Brother Voidspirit," Golden Flame Baron also said with a smile.
"Good. In that case, please excuse me." Voidspirit nodded in a pleased manner before opening his mouth to expel a miniature pavilion that was around half a foot tall and shimmering with black light.
The pavilion was entirely black in color, and its surface was riddled with runes of different colors. On top of that, the entirety of the structure was enshrouded within a layer of faint black Qi, giving it quite a mysterious appearance.
Voidspirit made a hand seal, and the pavilion immediately expanded to around 10 feet tall as he said, "Fellow Daoist Han, bring along your Gold Devouring Beetles and come for a chat here in my Black Wind Pavilion."
He then didn't even bother to wait for Han Li's response as he stowed away his own Gold Devouring Beetles, then quickly shrank down to only around an inch in height before vanishing into the pavilion in a flash.
"I'll also have to excuse myself, then." Han Li was feeling very uneasy, but he knew he had no choice in the matter, so he could only bid farewell to Qing Yuanzi and Golden Flame Baron with a wry smile.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han; Brother Voidspirit has a rather eccentric personality, but he wouldn't stoop to doing something unbefitting of his status. Having said that, I suggest you agree to the exchange he offers as long as the conditions aren't too heavily weighed against your favor," Qing Yuanzi said with slightly furrowed brows.
"Thank you, Senior Qing; I know what I have to do," Han Li replied with a solemn voice, then stowed away his Gold Devouring Beetles and vanished into the pavilion as an azure thread.
In the instant that he entered the pavilion, all ties to the outside world were immediately cut off.
All of a sudden, Golden Flame Baron transmitted his voice to Qing Yuanzi. "Are you really not concerned, Brother Qing? Not only is that old geezer extremely erratic, his powers are well beyond ours. If he tries something against Fellow Daoist Han in there, neither of us will be able to stop him in time."
"I think you're overthinking things, Fellow Daoist. That old monster is indeed quite domineering, but he's never done anything unbefitting of his status before, so we need not worry. Besides, I owe Fellow Daoist Han quite a big favor, and I want to protect him as best as I can, but if possible, I really don't want to offend that old monster. Otherwise, there won't be any place for me here in the infernal river," Qing Yuanzi replied.
"That's true. With his powers, he'd most likely be able to defend himself even against a true spirit, so it's not like our concerns will amount to anything, anyway. However, why did he display such a strong reaction to those Gold Devouring Beetles? I understand that they're exceedingly rare, but doesn't he possess the same type of spirit insect as well? Can you deduce anything from that, Brother Qing?" Golden Flame Baron asked.
"You think far too highly of me, Fellow Daoist. I can only assume that Fellow Daoist Han's Gold Devouring Beetles are going to be useful to him somehow," Qing Yuanzi replied in an intentionally ambiguous manner.
"Is that so?" Golden Flame Baron clearly wasn't convinced, but Qing Yuanzi merely smiled and refused to comment further on this matter.
Meanwhile, Han Li and Voidspirit were conversing in their miniature forms within the hall of the black pavilion.
"Take a seat, Fellow Daoist Han. This Black Wind Pavilion of mine counts as half a spatial treasure. Not only can I adjust its size at will, it can keep out all spiritual sense, so there's no danger of our conversation being overheard by anyone else," Voidsprit said with a smile as he sat casually down onto the main seat.
"Thank you, Senior." Han Li extended a respectful salute before also taking a seat.
"Prior to discussing our deal, I have to verify one thing first; Fellow Daoist Han, roughly how many mature Gold Devouring Beetles do you have? Would you be able to tell me an exact number?" Voidspirit asked with irrepressible excitement in his voice.
"An exact number?" A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this.
Voidspirit immediately realized his mistake, and said, "Ah, forgive me, I was too direct there. The main thing that makes Gold Devouring Beetles fearsome is their numbers, so it would be taboo of me to enquire about how many you have. How about this? All you have to tell me is whether you have over 5,000 such spirit insects."
A slightly nervous look appeared in Voidspirit's eyes as he spoke. Many thoughts raced through Han Li's mind at once, but in the end, he still gave a truthful response, even though he would've much rather lied through his teeth.
Who knew if this Voidspirit would turn on him if an unsatisfactory response were given? After all, lies were extremely brittle in the face of powerful cultivators, and perhaps Voidspirit would forcibly examine the number of Gold Devouring Beetles Han Li possessed for himself.
"So you do have over 5,000; that's fantastic! In that case, we can make a deal with one another," Voidspirit said in an elated manner.
"Could it be that this deal you propose has something to do with the number of Gold Devouring Beetles I have, Senior?"
Voidspirit rubbed his hands together with a pair of glowing eyes, and said, "Of course! I only want 5,000 mature Gold Devouring Beetles from you. As for what I'm willing to offer in exchange, you can ask for anything you want. As long as I have it, it's yours!"
"5,000 Gold Devouring Beetles?" Even though Han Li had already guessed that this would be the case, he was still rather surprised to hear this.
"You've put me in a really rough spot, Senior. I naturally have more than 5,000 mature Gold Devouring Beetles, but that number definitely accounts for the majority of all my beetles. I was hoping to use them as a trump card if I could reach the Grand Ascension Stage someday."
Voidspirit's smile faded, and a cold look appeared on his face as he said, "Indeed, 5,000 mature Gold Devouring Beetles are extremely valuable, but as long as value can be assigned to something, it can be exchanged. Setting aside everything else, there are a few types of spirit insects in my possession that I haven't yet shown you, and they're all at least as powerful as your Gold Devouring Beetles. On top of that, the damaged Profound Heavenly Treasure I have is surely worth more than 5,000 Gold Devouring Beetles."
"That may be the case, but t
hose spirit insects must be your bonded spirit insects, and as for that damaged Profound Heavenly Treasure, I definitely wouldn't dare to ask for it; I'm sure that it'll only bring me misfortune. How about this? Would you be able to disclose to me why you'd like so many Gold Devouring Beetles, Senior? I'm rather perplexed as these Gold Devouring Beetles have recognized me as their master for many years, so even if you do take them, you won't be able to use them in battle. On top of that, 5,000 is a very specific number, which makes things even more perplexing to me," Han Li said after a brief moment of contemplation.
"Hmph, you dare to pry into my matters?" The cold expression on Voidspirit's face grew even more pronounced.
"Please forgive me, Senior. I invested countless time and effort into nurturing these Gold Devouring Beetles to maturity, and they're almost as important as my own life. If I don't know what they're going to be used for, I'll be very reluctant to hand them over," Han Li said in a resolute unyielding manner.
"Hehe, that's reasonable. Alright, I can tell you what I intend to with these Gold Devouring Beetles, but after you hear my plans, you can't refuse this exchange. Otherwise..." A menacing smile appeared on Voidspirit's face as he spoke.
Han Li contemplated this for a short while before finally heaving a resigned sigh, "Alright, I'll agree to the exchange."
"Haha, you've made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist Han. Now then, I want your Gold Devouring Beetles as I plan to nurture a legendary Gold Devouring Beetle Monarch. In order to nurture this beetle monarch, a large number of mature Gold Devouring Beetles is required. As for why I specifically requested 5,000, that's because I already have another 5,000 mature Gold Devouring Beetles, and 10,000 should be more than enough for me to nurture a beetle monarch. Hence, any more than that would simply be superfluous," Voidspirit explained, and Han Li's heart immediately jolted upon hearing this.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1081