Han Li actually raised his hand and collected all three Gold Devouring Beetles into his spirit beast ring, then quietly sat down to regulate his breathing with his eyes closed.
The final outcome of these three Gold Devouring Beetles devouring each other would undoubtedly leave only the strongest one standing.
But whether this last quasi-beetle-king, after undergoing its evolution, could truly become the legendary Gold Devouring Beetle King — he was not actually all that confident about that.
After all, according to legend, the Gold Devouring Beetle King was so powerful that even a True Immortal from the heavens would have to give it a wide berth upon encountering one.
Of course, this was merely a rumor. In the records of the various races of the Spirit World, there had never been any actual documentation of a Gold Devouring Beetle King appearing.
Just how powerful this insect king could truly become was really something that was hard to say.
All Han Li could do was silently harbor a measure of hope in his heart.
However, compared to his current astonishing abilities, the help that an ordinary Mahayana-stage being could provide would no longer be all that significant.
And so he had already made up his mind — after returning this time, he would allow the Leopard Kirin Beast, which had always stayed by his side, to enter seclusion for cultivation as well.
Although spirit beasts of this caliber typically relied on vast stretches of time to slowly accumulate cultivation and strength, with his generous assistance in the form of pills, it should not be long before the beast's cultivation increased dramatically.
As Han Li mused over all of this, his spiritual sense gradually sank into the deepest reaches of his spiritual sea.
Meanwhile, the white flying boat hurtled forward across the wasteland without the slightest concealment. The faint but unmistakable aura of a Mahayana cultivator emanating from it was enough to send any fierce magical beasts in the vicinity into a terrified trembling, not daring to harbor even the slightest thought of provoking it.
Half a month later, the endless stretches of black and green below finally disappeared, replaced by an infinite expanse of blinding white snow.
In the space ahead, bitter winds howled, and snowflakes as large as goose feathers whirled past in frenzied gusts, interspersed with fist-sized chunks of glistening ice.
But beneath a layer of milky-white light that enveloped the boat, it sailed through the storm as steady as a rock.
The two giant ape puppets piloted the vessel onward with not the slightest hint of disturbance, sending it streaking through the sky.
Several days later, the boat had penetrated deep into the snowfield. The vast white blankets of snow below had vanished entirely, replaced by a landscape of crystalline glaciers as far as the eye could see.
Everywhere one looked, transparent mountain peaks of varying sizes rose in silent majesty. Small, furry white beasts of some unidentified species galloped across the ice below, paying no heed whatsoever to the flying boat overhead.
Clearly, these magical beasts were far too low in rank — they did not even possess the awareness to detect the formidable aura emanating from the vessel.
Suddenly, a flash of silver light burst from the boat. A streak of brilliant rainbow shot downward, swept in a circle through one of the beast herds, then pierced the sky and flashed back up to the boat in the blink of an eye.
The silver light faded to reveal Moon Yue standing at the bow of the boat with a smile, examining the small white beast she held by the scruff in one hand.
At first glance, the creature bore a striking resemblance to a white bear, but a short blue horn grew from the top of its head, and its two ears were remarkably long, giving it an exceedingly cute appearance.
The beast dangled by the neck, its four limbs kicking about wildly, while a faint crackling sound came from its forehead as threads of blue lightning flickered on and off — it looked utterly clumsy.
"How interesting. This beast doesn't have a trace of demonic energy on it at all. It's more like a spirit beast from the mortal realm." Moon Yue reached out and stroked the creature's fuzzy little head, a charming smile gracing her features.
"That is an Ice-Horned Bear — one of the few low-ranked magical beasts in the Demonic Realm that can survive and reproduce here without relying on demonic energy. It is born with both ice and lightning attributes." A clear, resonant male voice suddenly came from behind Moon Yue.
Moon Yue's face brightened with delight, and she turned to see Han Li emerging unhurriedly from the cabin.
"Oh? Brother Han, you know about this beast too?" Moon Yue pressed her lips together in a smile and asked.
"I made a point of collecting records about the various magical beasts of the Demonic Realm back in the day, so this particular beast, which is quite similar to a spirit beast, left a rather deep impression on me," Han Li said in his mild, gentle tone.
"I see. But you've come out of seclusion already — does that mean we're not far from our destination?" Moon Yue nodded, then asked with a trace of excitement.
"According to Fellow Daoist Lan Ying's directions, we're at most half a day's journey from the location marked on the Qiling Secret Map." Han Li swept his spiritual sense across the surrounding region of several tens of thousands of li, then replied casually.
"Half a day? That really isn't far then. Heh heh, this so-called Qiling Ancestor was apparently a hugely renowned figure in the Demonic Realm long ago. A treasure vault left behind with such care should contain quite a few good things, I'd imagine," Moon Yue said with undisguised joy.
"That's hard to say. The cultivation methods of the demon race differ greatly from those of us humans. Perhaps things they regard as treasures would be of little use to us. However, I've heard that the Mo Spirit Sacred Boat — once ranked among the top three flying treasures in the entire Demonic Realm — belonged to him. If we could get our hands on that treasure, the trip would not have been in vain." Han Li smiled faintly as he spoke.
"Ranked among the top three in the Demonic Realm? Then this treasure must be no ordinary thing. I'd love to see it for myself," Moon Yue said, her lovely face lit up with anticipation.
Han Li smiled and was about to reply when his expression shifted slightly. His gaze snapped toward the distant horizon in another direction.
"What is it, Brother Han? Did you sense something?" Moon Yue asked, naturally surprised.
"Interesting. It seems we've run into some old acquaintances." Han Li's eyes flashed with blue light as he stared at the far-off horizon for a moment, and then a hint of a smile crept across the corner of his mouth.