Han Li watched this scene, his expression unchanged, merely flicking his sleeve toward the sky.
Golden light immediately shot downward, flashing briefly before vanishing into his sleeve without a trace.
Han Li turned his palm over, and a golden beetle the size of a fist appeared in his hand.
It was none other than one of the three "Pseudo Insect Kings" he had previously released to hunt the Black Owl King.
Han Li's eyes flickered as he stared at the golden beetle for a moment. Then he furrowed his brow and murmured: "That fellow Black Owl really did get away. But nearly half his body was devoured by those little things, so the injuries he sustained are far worse than originally anticipated. I suppose that's not a bad outcome."
Having muttered to himself, Han Li moved his palm and put the beetle away. Then, with a flash of green light in his hand, a jade slip appeared.
Han Li swept his gaze over the jade slip, and a faint smile couldn't help but cross his face.
His visit to the Heavenly Book Pavilion this time had exposed him to many impressive secret techniques, but his true purpose had been to obtain the second half of the "Thunder Offering Technique."
The Thunder Offering Technique he had obtained from the Flying Feather Clan's Abyssal Demon King was only an incomplete activation method. Though it could unleash tremendous power from the Exorcism Divine Thunder, the casting process was excruciatingly slow and of little practical use in actual combat.
Once he learned from Lord Black Rain that the Sacred Island still preserved the second half of the Thunder Offering Technique's formula, he had committed it to memory and resolved to learn the technique in full.
Now that he had found the second half in the Heavenly Book Pavilion and compared its contents with what he had previously learned, he confirmed that the two could indeed form a complete set. His heart naturally filled with joy, and without hesitation he brought out the jade slip recording the technique.
As for the several dozen other secret techniques, they were merely incidental finds.
However, among those other techniques, several had caught his eye and genuinely piqued his interest enough to consider studying them later.
Han Li scanned through the Thunder Offering Technique in the jade slip once more, confirmed there were truly no issues, then put the jade slip away. He strode toward the teleportation array not far away.
There, Daoist Xie had been waiting quietly.
"Brother Han has returned." Upon seeing Han Li approach, Daoist Xie asked calmly.
"I've kept Brother Xie waiting. Let us go meet those Sacred Island Elders. I imagine they've grown somewhat impatient." Han Li said with an apologetic smile.
Daoist Xie naturally nodded without objection.
Thus, when the two stepped into the teleportation array once more, a flash of light swept over them and their figures vanished again.
……
Several days later, a white, misty jade vessel broke through the sky and departed from the Sacred Island, shooting off into the distance in a flash.
Upon the vessel, Han Li, Daoist Xie, Silver Moon, and the others were all present, along with the white-haired elder surnamed Luo from the Sacred Island's Elder Council.
Han Li stood at the very front of the jade vessel, his brow slightly furrowed in deep contemplation, apparently mulling over some weighty matter.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, the Black Owl King has been gravely wounded by me. For the next several hundred years, he won't dare harbor any designs against our two races. As for the Shadow Clan and the other races — without a Mahayana cultivator standing guard, they wouldn't dare act rashly either. In any case, news of my entering the demon realm must be kept secret for now. For at least a hundred years, not a whisper should leak out, to guard against any unforeseen consequences!" Han Li said in an authoritative tone after relaxing his brow.
"This old one respectfully obeys Senior Han's decree! The fact that Senior has temporarily left the Spirit Realm — this old one will do everything in his power to seal off all information and prevent outsiders from learning of it. However, does Senior truly intend to depart so soon? Senior has only recently advanced to Mahayana. Would it not be better to consolidate your cultivation further and prepare for a longer period before entering the demon realm?" The elder agreed, then added with some hesitation.
"Fellow Daoist Mo Jianli and Fellow Daoist Ao Xiao have been trapped in the demon realm for quite some time now. They may already be in dire peril — how can I afford to delay any further? As for consolidating my realm, that is not something I particularly need. The cultivation method I practice differs from that of most fellow Daoists. A large part of my advancement to Mahayana came through body-refinement techniques, so consolidating the Mahayana realm does not require an extended period." Han Li shook his head and explained.
"Since Senior has made up his mind, this old one will not attempt to dissuade him further. The spatial node we are heading to is a former spatial passage once used by the retreating demon army. Although the passage has since closed and become a spatial node, according to reports from cultivators residing nearby, violent spatial fluctuations periodically emanate from within. This indicates the spatial barrier there is still somewhat thin, and the spatial forces have not fully consolidated. With Senior's Mahayana-level abilities, supplemented by the Star Disc, breaking through and entering the demon realm should not be too difficult."
"As long as the node you've described is sound, entering the demon realm should indeed not be too difficult for me at this point," Han Li replied noncommittally.
"Actually, if Senior were willing to wait a while longer, the other great clans would likely send people into the demon realm to investigate as well. After all, they also have Mahayana cultivators trapped in the demon realm with no word coming through." It was Li Rong who couldn't help but interject from the side.
"Heh, even if those great clans do send people into the demon realm, they'll only care about their own Mahayana existences. Why would they care about the fate of people from small clans like ours? Besides, so much time has already passed — those super powers may have already sent expeditions in again. I hardly think they would go out of their way to send word to our few clans about their movements." Han Li said with a cold laugh.
Hearing Han Li's words, Li Rong and the elder naturally had nothing more to say.
At that moment, Han Li thought of something else and added calmly: "There's no need for you to worry too much. I'll have Brother Xie accompanying me to the demon realm this time, and Silver Moon will be coming along as well. Even if something truly unexpected arises, we'll have more than enough means to protect ourselves. However, Guo'er's cultivation is far too low — she shouldn't come along. I'll need a few of you to look after her for the time being."
"Rest assured, Senior! Once Senior enters the demon realm, we will bring Miss Zhu back to the Sacred Island and ensure she cultivates in peace." The elder hastily bowed and agreed upon hearing this.