"Four Demon Venerables still aren't confident they can handle a single demon beast? What is this creature's origin, and what abilities does it possess?" Han Li murmured thoughtfully, his expression grave.
"I'm ashamed to say it. I once faced this creature in battle, but I was never able to get a clear look at its true form. It was always shrouded in a mass of green flame — all I could make out was a vague outline. I can only describe it as something resembling a rhinoceros yet not quite a rhinoceros, something like an ox yet not quite an ox. As for its abilities, this beast commands fire techniques of terrifying power, strong enough to rend the void itself. Back then, I was caught off guard and nearly burned alive on the spot by its demonic flames." The purple-haired woman bit her lower lip lightly and spoke with a solemn expression.
"Fire techniques? That does make things troublesome. When someone cultivates fire abilities to their absolute peak, their destructive power far surpasses that of any other elemental affinity. No wonder you suffered such a grievous defeat." Han Li's eyes flickered as he murmured.
"Brother Han, there's no need to flatter me. Even if this beast hadn't been wielding demonic flame techniques, its raw magical power alone is far beyond anything I can match. I'd estimate it has reached the late-stage completion of the Demon Venerable realm, which is why the Bai family can only muster everyone's combined strength before daring to drive it away." The purple-haired woman answered with a bitter smile.
"A late-stage Demon Venerable beast! No wonder you're being so cautious. Tell me, Fairy Futian — how confident are you in this operation? Facing a powerful beast of unknown depth is no joke. There's even the risk of serious injury or death." Han Li's expression shifted between light and shadow as he asked.
"Killing such a beast outright is practically impossible. But if we only need to drive it off and wound it, with four people working together, our chances should be around sixty to seventy percent. However, if you were also to agree to help, I'd say our chances rise to a full ninety percent." The purple-haired woman answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Heh heh, Fairy seems quite confident indeed!" Han Li gave a noncommittal chuckle.
"That's because the two friends the Bai family has invited — besides possessing magical power no less than my own — one cultivates the power of ice and cold, while the other possesses a treasure of extreme yin and extreme cold. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare make such bold claims before you. If this operation fails, then the Bai family may have no choice but to painfully abandon this mine." Seeing Han Li's somewhat doubtful expression, the purple-haired woman quickly added a few more words of explanation.
"Having companions who can counter the beast's demonic flame does improve our odds by a fair margin. It seems Hermit Futian already has everything well planned. However, there's one more matter I'd like you to explain." Han Li nodded in sudden realization, but after a brief turn of thought, he abruptly asked another question.
"If Brother Han has any questions at all, please do ask. I will hold nothing back!" The purple-haired woman replied with a smile.
"That beast has cultivated to the late-stage Demon Venerable realm. Even if its spiritual intelligence was originally quite low, it should have developed some degree of awareness by now. So why would it have occupied your Bai family's mine without cause? And it seems the Bai family places tremendous importance on this particular mine — willing to pay such a steep price rather than give it up. What rare mineral does it produce, exactly?" Han Li asked calmly.
"It's an enormous Fire Cloud Stone mine, and the highest grade at that — the reserves are incredibly abundant, enough to benefit the Bai family for thousands of years to come. How could I possibly let it go easily?" The purple-haired woman hurried to explain.
"Fire Cloud Stone! No wonder then. This late-stage beast is likely trying to absorb the True Fire essence from the entire vein to advance its own cultivation." Han Li nodded, a sense of clarity settling in.
"Exactly. Only certain special types of beasts possess such an innate talent — the ability to directly absorb and transform a mineral vein's power. If ordinary members of our Holy Race attempted such a thing, no matter how high their cultivation, their bodies would explode and they would perish. But all the more reason to reclaim this mine as soon as possible. Left unchecked, either the beast's power will advance further, or the vein will be utterly ruined. If you agree to lend your aid, regardless of whether the operation succeeds or fails, the Bai family will not only gift you an Eight-Legged Demon Lizard but also offer a generous sum of demon stones as payment." The purple-haired woman's gleaming eyes flashed as she made her promise.
"Since you show such sincerity, it wouldn't be right for me to refuse outright. But I still need to know — where exactly in the Illusory Roar Desert is this Fire Cloud mine located, and roughly how long would a round trip take? If it takes too long, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to participate." Han Li considered for a moment before speaking with a serious expression.
"Please rest assured about that, Brother Han. The mine isn't terribly far from our city — just over a month's journey into the desert will get you there. Even with delays along the way, three months should be more than enough for the round trip." The purple-haired woman's beautiful eyes flickered as she answered promptly.
"In that case, I can agree to this. When does the Bai family plan to set out?" Han Li wasted no more time and agreed on the spot to lend his strength.
"Thank you so much for your help, Brother Han. I'm truly grateful. One of my two friends has already arrived; the other should reach the city in about a month. Once all of us are gathered, we'll depart immediately." The purple-haired woman was overjoyed upon hearing this.
Han Li smiled and nodded, offering no further comment.
At this point, the purple-haired woman once again invited Han Li to move into the Bai family estate, offering to cover all his daily cultivation expenses during his stay. But Han Li politely declined.
Seeing that Han Li's mind was firmly made up, the purple-haired woman didn't press the matter further. Instead, she struck up a discussion with him on demonic cultivation techniques and body refinement methods.
Han Li naturally had no objection to this and promptly fell into an animated exchange with her, the two sitting face to face.
But before long, he was surprised to discover that although the Hermit Futian before him was a woman, she truly possessed many unique insights when it came to body refinement techniques. After their discussion, certain points about the Brahma Saint demonic art that had long puzzled him were suddenly cleared up!
This was something he had rarely encountered when exchanging knowledge with other Body Integration cultivators in the Spirit Realm.
But after a moment's careful reflection, Han Li came to understand why.