"If you don't want to talk about those matters, then…"
Shangren Xuan Gu abruptly changed tack, apparently intending to pose a different question. But just then, a clear chiming sound suddenly emanated from the old demon's body, so crisp and pleasant that Han Li was momentarily stunned upon hearing it.
Shangren Xuan Gu heard the sound, first froze, and then an expression of disbelief and delight spread across his face.
He ignored Han Li entirely and suddenly drove a fist into his own chest.
With a wet "pssh," a small, pristine-white rib shot out from within his body, circled around Shangren Xuan Gu once, and then landed back in his palm.
The clear chiming had actually come from inside this rib.
Han Li blinked, a trace of confusion crossing his features, unable to make heads or tails of what was happening.
But the old demon held the object in hand, and the smile on his face only deepened.
With a "crack," the old demon applied slight pressure with his five fingers, and the white bone crumbled into fine powder. From within it drifted a sphere of white light and a small black insect that resembled a cricket.
The insect circled around the light sphere, chirping ceaselessly. But the moment it caught sight of Shangren Xuan Gu, it immediately fell silent and flew straight into his body of its own accord.
Seeing this, Shangren Xuan Gu let out a hearty laugh, grabbed the light sphere in his hand, and then the white glow vanished, revealing an old, slightly yellowed brocade handkerchief.
Han Li, watching from across the chamber, felt his heart jolt when he saw the object.
That brocade handkerchief looked incredibly familiar — it bore a striking resemblance to the fragment map he had obtained from the Black Fiend Lord. Could there be some connection between the two?
Han Li's mind began racing. He knew this might be the key to unlocking the secret of the fragment map, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes, carefully observing the other party's every move.
But unfortunately, Shangren Xuan Gu took only a quick glance before deftly stuffing the brocade handkerchief into his robes. Then, with a calm expression, he addressed Han Li: "Since you have no relation to those two rebellious disciples, I have no more time to waste on you. I have urgent matters to attend to, so we'll each go our own way. And here's a piece of advice — if you linger here any longer, my wretched disciple might just sniff out your scent and come running." Having said this, Shangren Xuan Gu paid no attention to Han Li's reaction whatsoever. With a cold laugh, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light, shot past Han Li's side, and then burst out through the entrance, looking thoroughly rushed.
Han Li was momentarily dumbfounded, then furrowed his brow.
But he immediately set his body in motion, transforming into a streak of green light that swept a full circle around the great hall, collecting the magical treasures and storage bags of Jin Qing and the others. He then conjured several fireballs to reduce the corpses to ash before similarly shooting out of the place.
He couldn't afford to dwell further on the matter of the brocade handkerchief right now — he feared that if he was too slow getting out, the old demon might have laid some trap at the cave entrance, and that would spell real trouble.
Still, the fact that the old demon hadn't even glanced at the storage bags of these deceased cultivators struck Han Li as odd. Either he truly had no interest in the belongings of mere Foundation Establishment cultivators, or he'd been in too much of a hurry to bother. Either way, it was Han Li's gain.
But the loss of his avatar Qu Hun, seized away by the old demon — that gnawed at Han Li, leaving him both distressed and seething with frustration.
Yet if he actually tried to fight the old demon, his odds of victory were slim at best. The thought only deepened his sense of helplessness.
As these thoughts churned in his mind, he broke through from underground to the surface.
The old demon had long since vanished without a trace, and Han Li felt a chill run through him at the sheer speed and mystery of the other's escape technique.
He glanced around at the eerie, silent surroundings, then thought about how so many people had entered the underground cavern, yet only he had walked out alive. A faint, fleeting sense of desolate loneliness crept into his heart.
But he brushed the negative emotion aside as quickly as it had come. The Path of Immortal Cultivation stretched out long before him — this was no time for self-pity.
Han Li dared not linger here any longer. After briefly orienting himself, he immediately flew toward the island's edge. As he flew, he rummaged through his storage bag for something.
Moments later, a brocade handkerchief that likewise emitted a soft white glow appeared in his hand.
Gazing at the object, Han Li's heart pounded with excitement.
He didn't need to examine it closely anymore — he already knew with certainty that this brocade handkerchief was of the same type as the one in Shangren Xuan Gu's possession. He simply had no idea what secret it harbored, one so significant that it had made a man as calculating and deep as the old demon lose composure in such a manner.
At the thought, Han Li leaned in for a closer look.
The map that had previously been vague and indistinct had completely vanished. In its place, on the now-blank brocade handkerchief, a small golden sword of light had appeared. No matter how Han Li rotated the handkerchief, the glowing sword slowly and steadily pointed toward the northwest, and from its tip a thin red line extended straight to the edge of the cloth, emitting a faint luminescence.
Han Li frowned. Though he didn't know the precise function of this object, a diagram this simple — if he couldn't figure out what it meant, he'd have to be an absolute fool.