After some thought, Han Li conceded, “Since a noble clan like the Ye Clan was capable of creating a Divine Spirit Treasure replica, other great sects should’ve been able to do so as well.”
“There is no point in being dejected,” Monarch Soul Divergence sourly said, “Although they may be replicas, they were refined from rare materials. I reckon that most of these materials are extinct in this world and were only gathered together over a long period of time. Besides, don’t you have a genuine Divine Spirit Treasure in your possession? If you are able to fully wield it, none would be able to stand against you in this world.”
When Han Li heard this he wryly snickered. “As if that would be easy. It will only be a daydream unless I am able to reach Deity Transformation stage. But if I reach that level, I’ll be able to reign over the mortal world without the Heavenvoid Cauldron in hand.”
Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled and said nothing else.
The hall was filled with an overpowering silence after the introduction of the Mountain Crushing Seal.
The white silhouette could read the pressure from the crowd and didn't delay any further with the explanation. After a light cough, he began to describe the conditions to acquire the seal.
“The Ye Clan has already prepared a list of the items it desires. Whoever is able to produce the most of these materials will be able to acquire this treasure. Of course, if the value of the highest trade is obviously insufficient, it will not be accepted. The final method of trade will be an auction with a minimum bid of three million spirit stones.”
When this was said, a majority of cultivators present became restless, but none had raised any objections. Although that number of spirit stones was most of the wealth that a mid-sized cultivator sect possessed, it truly was a low price for it. When the auction started, it was more than likely that the bids would reach several times the minimum.
When Han Li heard the conditions of the trade, he felt a chill shake his heart as a strange thought came to mind. If he were to take out his last Devil Essence Diamond and put it on auction, he could acquire a significant amount of spirit stones.
However, it wasn’t quite comparable. The most famous treasure of the Devil Dao, the Devil Dragon Blade, was something he had done a bit of research on. It appeared that only one of them was able to be refined and this was during ancient times. It was said that some devil cultivators were able to kill Deity Transformation stage cultivators with the weapon, and its might was no inferior to a Divine Spirit Treasure. Since the Devil Dragon Blade was a magic treasure, it had immense potential but it couldn’t be refined with only one or two Devil Essence Diamonds. Even so, a devil cultivator could greatly increase their cultivation by absorbing the diamond’s pure devilish Qi, which caused its immense value.
Just as these random thoughts appeared in his head, the old man took out a jade slip containing the list of materials and began to read them out loud.
Although his voice was soft, everyone in the hall could clearly hear him.
After this was said, Han Li grew indifferent and no longer had any intention of fighting over the treasure.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t be tempted by the treasure, but that he was aware of his own limits. As a lone cultivator, how could he possibly compare to the vast wealth of the greatest sects of the Jin Empire? Even the entire fortune of a smaller sect couldn’t hope to compete! After hearing out the list of items they wanted in exchange, Han Li became certain the Ye Clan was willing to take out the Mountain Crushing Seal at this auction because they taking advantage of being pressured by the various superpowers to sell the item.
The old man hadn’t uttered the name of materials as rare as Elemental Jade or Auric Essence, but since the requested items were both uncommon and essential, large sects would always keep a stockpile of them. It appears the Ye Clan were planning to deal a striking blow to these sects.
With that in mind, Han Li stood up and headed towards the teleportation formation of the hall.
The action had aroused quite a bit of attention and bewilderment, as many cultivators had taken note of him after he produced two Devil Essence Diamonds..
Han Li paid little notice of this and continued on his way out. But just as he was about to enter the glowing formation, he heard the sound of a familiar voice, “Fellow Daoist Han, why are you leaving now?” Old Man Fu had sent him a voice transmission.
Han Li stopped and replied, “I’ve become a target of attention. It’d be best for me to depart before I attract problems. I still haven’t forgotten about Brother Fu’s affair. If you aren’t in a hurry, how about we talk about it in a few years after I finish refining a treasure?”
“My matter isn’t urgent at all. However, Brother Han has taken quite the effort to conceal himself from me. I didn’t have the slightest clue you possessed something as precious as Devil Essence Diamonds. It is no wonder the Yin Sifting Sect is pursuing you. Anyways, in four years time, could you meet me in Nanjian Province’s Chaoyun Prefecture? At that time, I will have arranged for other Fellow Daoists to meet me at Twin Scorpion Mountain. I guarantee that although the matter will require some effort, you will most certainly be rewarded.”
“Four years? That will be enough time. I’ll see you then.” with that said, Han Li stepped into the formation and disappearing in a flash of white light.
After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li flew out from the underground trade meet, flying a circle in the air before heading east.
A short moment after Han Li departed, several cultivators quietly departed from the trade meet as well, having more or less had the same thoughts about the Mountain Crushing Seal. Most, however, decided to remain behind. After all, there were to be even more rare materials, along with the fierce competition involved.
After quickly flying five hundred kilometers away, he passed by a nearby mountain and had heard a peculiar sword cry. Han Li’s expression vastly changed and he came to a sudden stop.
He took a deep breath and sharply glanced around him. Tens of golden flying swords were simultaneously released to densely fly around him with great momentum.
With blue light flashing from his eyes, he stared at an empty space and coldly said, “Your tracks have already been revealed. There is no point in hiding, come out!”
“Hehe! You are truly clever. As expected of the cultivator who slew my main soul.”
Black light flashed from where Han Li was standing to reveal a youth with a similar appearance to himself. He also wore azure robes and had a calm expression, but a dim black-purple light shined from his eyes.
When Han Li saw this person, he felt his heart drop despite having already anticipated this. “So it was you! Why have you come to find me?”
After examining Han Li for a moment, he lazily said. “It seems you already know who I am. I didn’t expect to find you so quickly. It seems my luck is quite good.”
Han Li emotionlessly said, “My two swords are in your possession. I’d have to be stupid to not know who you are.”
“That’s right, Your flying swords are right here.” The Elder Devil’s soul fragment raised his hand and revealed two small swords that were violently trembling. They were attempting to return to Han Li with all their might, but layers of black thread were firmly keeping them in place. “Your flying swords possess quite a bit of sentience to take the initiative to warn you.”
Han Li’s expression turned sullen.
The Elder Devil mysteriously smiled and said, “To think, these swords were actually refined from the evil-slaying Golden Lightning Bamboo! The others should be the same, revealing quite an unbelievable amount in total. It appears my main soul hadn’t perished for nothing. Although I was able to avoid being consumed, with his death I will forever be unable to recover my complete cultivation. Should I thank you… or kill you?”
Han Li paused before wearing a frigid smile. “Don’t tell me that you were waiting here only to have a chat with me.”
The Elder Devil looked down at the two golden swords in his hand and said, “That’s up to you to decide. So long as you tell me how you were able to acquire so much Golden Lightning Bamboo, I may be willing to let you go. But I may also be willing to draw out the answer from your primal soul.”
When Han Li heard this, his bearing remained unchanged. He then narrowed his eyes and imposingly said, “Talking about killing me and actually doing so are two very different things. If I remembered correctly, you were heavily injured in the Heavenly South. It’s hard to believe you’ve fully recovered after a short amount of time. I will be comparing your abilities to that of the main soul.”
“I originally thought you would speak when faced with death, but I guess not. So be it.” Killing intent surged from the Elder Devil, and the black-purple light in his eyes glowed.
