"As far as I know, there is a rare and unique devil beast found only in the Illusory Roar Desert — the Eight-Legged Devil Iguana. Although this devil beast cannot fly, it can move through the desert as swift as the wind. If we could find a few to serve as mounts, we could cut our travel time nearly in half," Sacred Lady Qianqiu said slowly.
"If such a devil beast exists, then taking the final route through the desert is worth considering after all. It's far more stable than the sea route, even if it would take somewhat longer," the feather-robed young woman murmured, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, you're thinking about this too simply. The devil core, hide, flesh, and bones of the Eight-Legged Devil Iguana are all extremely valuable in their own right. After years of continuous hunting, this species has been driven to the brink of extinction. Even if some surviving iguanas remain, they've either retreated deep into the desert or are being secretly bred by the local devil clan powers. Getting hold of one or two might still be possible. But finding enough for every one of us to have a mount at once — that's virtually impossible," Sacred Lady Qianqiu sighed, a hint of helplessness on her face.
"Since these devil iguanas are so rare, could we use other spirit beasts or devil beasts as substitutes? I happen to have several spirit beasts on hand that are adept at running on land," the feather-robed young woman suggested, her eyes darting thoughtfully.
"The Illusory Roar Desert suppresses beasts even more severely. Ordinary beasts, no matter how agile they may normally be, become utterly sluggish the moment they set foot in that desert — completely useless. Only devil beasts that originally dwelled within the Illusory Roar Desert are unaffected by its suppression. And among those devil beasts, the Eight-Legged Devil Iguana is the fastest by far. The next fastest can barely manage half its speed," Sacred Lady Qianqiu said, her brow furrowing slightly.
Upon hearing this, the feather-robed young woman's face naturally fell with disappointment.
But when Han Li heard all of this, a peculiar expression flickered across his face.
This woman's knowledge of the Devil Realm was remarkably detailed. It seemed the spirit races had prepared just as thoroughly as the Long family — perhaps even more thoroughly in their understanding of the Devil Realm's geography and power structures. Otherwise, Ancestor of the Long Family would have known about the Eight-Legged Devil Iguana.
"If we truly want to gather enough Eight-Legged Devil Iguanas, it's not without solutions. Worst case, we simply root out those devil clan powers and seize the iguanas by force. With our combined strength, that shouldn't be difficult at all," said Elder Hui, standing beside Ancestor of the Long Family, with a cold laugh.
"With our strength, there's nothing to fear as long as we don't run into a Devil Holy Ancestor. But doing so would cause far too great a commotion and easily draw the attention of powerful devil cultivators. If they fixate on us, or use teleportation arrays to cut us off at the other end of the Illusory Roar Desert, we'd be in serious trouble!" Ancestor of the Long Family considered this for a moment, then shook his head.
"That's true enough. However, instead of directly clashing with those devil clan powers, we could try to steal the iguanas, or trade something of equivalent value to acquire them. These devil beasts may be rare, but with our resources, surely we can offer something worth their while?" The scholar Cangxing voiced a different opinion.
"I think taking the Illusory Roar Desert is the more reliable option," Elder Jingu of the spirit races said simply.
"I agree with Brother Lin's view. Taking the sea route is the more feasible option. The journey through the Illusory Roar Desert would take far too long, and there's no guarantee we can even find enough Eight-Legged Devil Iguanas," the feather-robed young woman said after a moment's thought, siding with the long-haired man's position.
The others all wore contemplative expressions, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each option without voicing their opinions too hastily.
"Fellow Daoist Han, which route are you currently leaning toward?" Ancestor of the Long Family asked, turning to face Han Li after his gaze had flickered uncertainly for several moments.
"Before I answer, I'd first like to ask Ancestor Long — approximately how long would it take us to reach the Illusory Roar Desert from here? Months, or years?" Han Li remained silent for a moment before asking in an unhurried tone.
"Years? It wouldn't take nearly that long. We can reach the Illusory Roar Desert in just over a year's time, assuming we encounter no delays along the way. Why do you ask?" Ancestor of the Long Family replied, somewhat surprised.
"If judging purely by risk, then naturally I would still lean toward taking the Illusory Roar Desert. However, if we can't gather enough Eight-Legged Devil Iguanas, the time spent would be far too great — making it not worth the trade-off compared to the sea route. After all, the sea route would take only a little over ten years. Saving such a significant amount of time is more than enough to offset the comparatively higher risk. So what I propose is that we try to have it both ways," Han Li said, weighing each word carefully.
"What do you mean by 'having it both ways'?" Sacred Lady Qianqiu asked, a contemplative look in her eyes.
"We can take the Illusory Roar Desert route first. Once we reach the desert's vicinity, we can seek out the local devil clan powers and see whether we can gather enough Eight-Legged Devil Iguanas. If we find sufficient devil beasts, we proceed straight through the desert. If we can't manage it, we simply retrace our steps and take the sea route — there'd be no harm in that. After all, the round trip would only add two years at most. That's a span of time we can certainly afford," Han Li replied, his expression serious.
"Oh, that's actually a good idea — much more reliable. I'm in favor of Fellow Daoist Han's proposal!" The feather-robed young woman's beautiful eyes lit up with a pleased gleam the moment she heard this.
"This approach does strike a rather harmonious balance between the two options," the man surnamed Lin said after a brief moment of deliberation, also nodding in agreement.
"What about you, Fellow Daoist Qianqiu?" Ancestor of the Long Family's expression shifted slightly as he turned the question to Sacred Lady Qianqiu.
"I'll need to consult with a few of my clansmen first before I can give you my answer," Sacred Lady Qianqiu replied after her expression fluctuated several times.
"Naturally, that is entirely reasonable," Ancestor of the Long Family agreed at once.