The moment the firebird materialized, it let out a clear cry and shot straight up into the sky.
Han Li took a deep breath, and a hand as white as jade slipped out from his sleeve.
He bent his five fingers and flicked them in succession.
Streaks of five-colored cold flame shot from his fingertips one after another, vanishing the instant they flew. Each one that struck the golden firebird caused its radiance to dim considerably.
All five cold flames hit the golden firebird, drawing a mournful cry from it as its golden flames completely extinguished. The bird immediately flickered and reverted to a thumb-sized golden pill.
The pill's surface was covered in dense, intricate pill patterns, and coupled with its lustrous golden color and the manifestation it had just displayed, it looked utterly extraordinary.
"There's no doubt — this is the Void Spirit Pill." The instant the pill revealed its true form, a flash of elation crossed Liu Shui'er's beautiful eyes, and she cried out in a clear voice.
Shi Kun stared at the pill, his face similarly brimming with barely contained excitement. But he quickly seemed to recall something, his expression shifting as he hastily asked Han Li: "Brother Han, is there only this one Void Spirit Pill in the bottle?"
Han Li said nothing in response. Instead, with one hand forming an incantation gesture, he pointed at the purple-gold bottle.
The bottle trembled, and another flash of golden light appeared at its mouth. With a muffled boom, a second golden firebird flew out from inside.
"Wonderful — there's another one!" Shi Kun burst into hearty laughter at the sight.
"Both seniors desire this pill. Since there are two Void Spirit Pills, it works out perfectly — one each. Neither of you has any objections, I trust?" Han Li gave a light laugh and asked the two across from him with a meaningful look.
Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun exchanged a glance at his words.
Shi Kun's expression turned grave, while Liu Shui'er's gaze grew remarkably cold and clear.
"Fine — let's do it that way. Though my master gave me strict orders to bring back all the Void Spirit Pills, since Fairy Liu is unwilling to yield, this is the only way." After a brief hesitation, Shi Kun let out a long sigh and agreed.
"I have no objection either. At least I won't return empty-handed, and that should satisfy my master." The coldness in Liu Shui'er's eyes softened slightly as she too slowly gave her consent.
Seeing that neither of them opposed the arrangement, Han Li nodded. He pointed two fingers at the pills floating in the air and flicked them in reverse.
Two whooshes sounded in quick succession!
The two golden pills shot outward, each darting to the front of one of the two cultivators.
Liu Shui'er raised her slender hand and deftly caught the pill in her palm.
Shi Kun suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a wisp of yellow radiance. The luminous mist coiled around the pill, drawing it into his grasp through the air. Only then did the big man calmly extract the pill from the glow.
Although both had already identified the pills as Void Spirit Pills, the matter was far too important for them not to each carefully verify them with their own secret techniques.
Liu Shui'er murmured a chant, forming a series of different hand seals over the pill in her palm. Shi Kun, meanwhile, wore a solemn expression and simply stared at the pill in his hand without moving a muscle.
A full quarter of an hour later, both finally finished. They glanced at each other, gave an almost imperceptible nod, and only then did they both visibly relax.
"This trip has been thanks to Brother Han. Without you, we likely could not have made it here so smoothly and obtained the Void Spirit Pills." Liu Shui'er placed the pill into a medicine vial she carried, then turned to Han Li with a radiant smile.
"I received considerable benefits from both seniors before — lending some effort was only right." Han Li answered noncommittally.
"Brother Han is too modest. But are there any other pills in that bottle?" Shi Kun, having similarly put away his pill, glanced at the purple-gold bottle still hovering in midair and suddenly asked.
At Shi Kun's question, Liu Shui'er's heart stirred, and a flicker of curiosity passed through her eyes.
"Heh heh — I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Shi to be so greedy. Whether or not there's a third Void Spirit Pill, you can see for yourself." Han Li chuckled, then immediately formed an incantation gesture with one hand and gave the air a push.
The purple-gold bottle instantly transformed into a streak of golden light and flew straight toward Shi Kun.
Though Shi Kun caught the hint of displeasure in Han Li's words, the matter concerned a Void Spirit Pill. He could only feign ignorance and snatch the bottle out of the air, sending his spiritual sense sweeping inside.
But the bottle was completely empty — there was no third Void Spirit Pill anywhere within it.
A trace of disappointment flickered across Shi Kun's face. But his thoughts shifted, and he turned toward the veiled woman with a laugh: "Fairy Liu, wouldn't you like to take a look as well?"
He held up the bottle as though about to toss it over immediately.
But Liu Shui'er deliberated briefly, then shook her head.
"Brother Han and Brother Shi have both already looked. Why would I do something so redundant? How could I possibly distrust the two of you?"
At her words, Shi Kun had nothing more to say. He could only offer Han Li an awkward smile and toss the bottle back.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his sleeve shook, and a wave of azure radiance swept past — the purple-gold bottle vanished without a trace.
In the time that followed, Han Li withdrew two more items from the tripod. Both were rare materials on the verge of extinction in the Spirit Realm, and both were among the specific things Cai Liuying and Duan Tianren had requested.
Since each item existed in only a single copy, they were naturally divided between Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun — one each — again without any dispute.
With this, aside from the three extraordinary treasures obtained at the beginning, everything else had been claimed by the two of them.
There was nothing left in the tripod.
This time, not even Shi Kun harbored any further suspicions.