"Something I definitely won't refuse?" Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this.
Qing Yuanzi and Golden Flame Baron exchanged a glance, and both of them seemed to have guessed something.
Instead of directly telling Han Li what he was going to offer next, Voidspirit said something that was rather cryptic and ambiguous. "At this point, you should already know that I'm a grand elder of the Mayfly Race. Our Mayfly Race may not be able to match up against the super races like the Jiao Chi Race and Sea Monarch Race, but in some areas, we are peerless even in the context of the entire Spirit Realm."
He then reached out and made a grabbing motion, upon which all of the treasures suspended in the air flew back into his sleeve as specks of spiritual light.
Han Li's heart jolted upon hearing this, and he exclaimed, "Are you referring to insect control techniques, Senior?"
"Haha, that's right! Our race's insect control techniques are definitely unmatched in the Spirit Realm. Even if some of the other super races can compare with us in this field, they're definitely still somewhat lacking. What I'm offering you now are two of the 81 types of spirit insects that I've painstakingly nurtured. With these spirit insects up your sleeve, you'll be able to stand at the very pinnacle of the Body Integration Stage," Voidspirit said in a proud manner, then pointed two of his fingers forward, and two thumb-sized spirit insects, one purple and one green, emerged onto the table.
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 been 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.
