Han Li examined the contents of the storage pouch, then unceremoniously transferred everything inside into his own storage pouch. The original storage pouch he slashed to pieces with a flurry of sword strikes.
Although this storage pouch was clearly far superior to his own, Han Li had no intention of carrying it around casually. Who knew whether it might bear some kind of marking he couldn't detect?
Han Li rested for another day, and once he felt enough time had passed, he changed Qu Hun's direction and flew toward Yellow Maple Valley on his flying sword, bypassing the Seven Sects encampment entirely.
He reasoned that if something had truly gone wrong at the camp, the various sects would have been the first to learn of it. Better to head back to the valley and feel out the situation first. If all was well, he could still make it to the camp in time.
And so, with Qu Hun in tow, Han Li flew for five or six days without incident and arrived at the Taiyue Mountain Range.
He didn't draw any attention to himself. Instead, he slipped quietly back to his own cave dwelling first.
Once inside, he sealed the grand formation at the entrance, and his heart eased considerably. After all, there was nothing quite like the safety of one's own territory.
Han Li hurried straight to the secret chamber of the Spirit Eye Spring.
Sure enough, both spider eggs had successfully hatched. Floating in the spring water were two white spiders the size of fists. Though small, they were translucent and crystalline through and through — clearly no ordinary creatures.
The moment the two little spiders spotted Han Li, they flashed white and shot out of the spring toward him.
Han Li was startled at first, but quickly realized what was happening and didn't dodge.
The two spiders landed neatly on his shoulders and began scampering about his body with playful abandon, acting as though they had known him all their lives.
Han Li smiled faintly.
It seemed the Soul Control Restriction he had placed on them using his essence blood had truly worked. These two little spiders already regarded him as their parent, which was why they were so affectionate.
Delighted, Han Li curiously plucked one of the white spiders off his shoulder and placed it on his palm for a closer look.
Though spiders generally gave people an impression of ugliness and revulsion, this little spider was dazzlingly white and luminous — genuinely beautiful enough to make anyone unwilling to let go.
But what surprised Han Li most was that this little spider's spiritual energy already matched that of the third or fourth layer of Qi Condensation. It was a bona fide Rank One lower-grade spirit beast.
Its future potential was truly considerable!
As it happened, the white spider also appeared on the rankings of strange insects. It was called the "Blood Jade Spider" and placed somewhere above the one-hundredth rank. While not as formidable as the "Golden-Backed Demon Mantis," it was still a rare variety.
Han Li played with the two little spiders for a while, then placed them in a leather pouch and tucked it onto his person. He had no idea when he would return next, so naturally he needed to bring them along to continue their training gradually.
After that, Han Li went to his bedroom and pulled a small chest out from under the bed.
Inside the chest were a dozen or so storage pouches filled with all manner of talismans. Han Li casually picked out two and took them with him. His previous supply of talismans was nearly depleted, and he needed to replenish them.
Having taken care of these matters, Han Li left Qu Hun behind in the cave dwelling and strode out in plain view, heading straight for Yellow Maple Valley on his flying sword.
Perhaps because most of the manpower had already been dispatched to the Seven Sects encampment, Han Li encountered only a sparse handful of Qi Condensation stage disciples along the way. He casually stopped one of them and asked about the current situation in the valley.
The answers revealed nothing unfavorable, which put Han Li somewhat at ease.
However, this person was merely a Qi Condensation stage disciple, so Han Li naturally wasn't going to leave it at that. After a moment's thought, he headed straight for the Hundred Herbs Garden.
With the little old man's mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, he should know more concrete details.
Before long, Han Li arrived above the Hundred Herbs Garden, only to be blocked by the hazy white formation.
He had long since returned the entry token to the little old man, so he could no longer enter freely.
After witnessing the power of the "Five Elements Inversion Formation," the little old man's crude illusory formation was no longer much in Han Li's eyes.
Still, he had no intention of forcing his way through. Instead, he pulled a voice transmission talisman from his pouch, murmured a few words into it, and tossed it as a streak of firelight into the white mist below.
Shortly after, the white mist below began to churn, and a passage roughly ten feet wide opened up.
Seeing this, Han Li chuckled softly and drifted down.
At the end of the passage lay the center of the Hundred Herbs Garden, where two people stood waiting for his descent.
"Senior Brother Ma, it's been a while!" Han Li said with a smile to one of them.
That person was none other than the owner of the Hundred Herbs Garden — the little old man.