Although Han Li had long anticipated that the treasure refinement would take no short amount of time, five months later, the three demon cultivators had not left their seated positions even once—aside from occasionally tossing strange-looking materials into the pill fire.
This left Han Li somewhat astonished.
It had to be said that during this entire period, the three demons had only stopped three or four times to briefly recover their Magical Power, while allowing their demon cores to remain hovering in the air, continuously spewing out pill fire—all with an air of absolute composure.
Truly worthy of being eighth or ninth-tier demon beasts. Their Magical Power was truly unfathomable.
Because Han Li had been continuously cycling and refining his qi, his own Magical Power had remained at full capacity. The small amount of spiritual energy siphoned away by the light barrier was negligible.
He could see that the bone wings within the pill fire were growing increasingly translucent and crystalline by the day, with faint sounds of thunder and rushing wind emanating from within.
The joy in Feng Xi's eyes had also grown more and more apparent.
Han Li knew in his heart that the Wind Thunder Wings must not be far from completion.
Over these past months, the demonic qi within his body that had weighed on his mind had never appeared. There had been not even the faintest trace of its presence.
This left Han Li somewhat puzzled.
However, upon reflection, he suspected it might be related to the Evil-Banishing Divine Thunder hidden within the treasure in his body. After all, that divine thunder inherently possessed the wondrous effect of purging demons and banishing evil.
Could it be that the demonic qi had already been automatically cleansed clean by the divine thunder?
Thinking of this, Han Li naturally felt delighted.
In truth, even if the demonic qi did appear, he had already planned to use the divine thunder to destroy it.
And if that still proved insufficient, he could risk shrinking the Gold Devouring Beetles and swallowing them into his stomach—they could forcibly devour the demonic qi as well.
So the Rending Wind Beast's controlling measures, in Han Li's eyes, were nothing to fear. He had never taken them to heart from the very beginning.
He imagined this old demon had never considered that although his cultivation was modest, the supreme treasures and spiritual artifacts on his person were terrifyingly numerous.
With no future worries to burden him, Han Li would certainly not sit idle and await his fate.
The several escape strategies he had devised long ago cycled through his mind again and again. When the time came, he would assess the situation and adapt accordingly, selecting whichever approach proved most suitable.
Sure enough, another month later, the Rending Wind Beast—who had been sitting with eyes closed—seemed to determine that the refinement was nearly complete, and took the next step.
He opened his eyes and focused intently on the bone wings hovering in the air, now nearly finished, and drew a deep breath.
Suddenly, over a dozen hand seals flew from his fingers toward the sky in rapid succession, and the pill fire extinguished entirely, revealing three demon cores and the two bone wings.
The demon cores appeared somewhat dimmer in luster compared to before—a consequence of the three demons having continuously spewed pill fire for months, resulting in some damage to their vital energy.
But the two bone wings were the opposite. Not only were they slender and perfectly formed, they emanated both a milky-white and a silver radiance, making them strikingly dazzling.
Feng Xi pointed without hesitation at his own demon core. It spun rapidly in the air before shooting back down and being drawn into his body.
The Venomous Flood Dragon and the Turtle Demon exchanged a glance, then followed suit, retrieving the remaining two demon cores in the same manner.
Without a word, all three demons immediately closed their eyes to recuperate.
It took a full several days before Feng Xi and the others had fully recovered their Magical Power and replenished their vital energy.
It was only then that the ninth-tier Rending Wind Beast finally turned to look at Han Li. He then flicked a hand seal toward the light barrier containing Han Li.
A beam of red light drilled into the barrier, which flickered wildly several times before dissolving on its own.
Han Li's expression remained calm, betraying no hint of surprise.
"Next, my two brothers and I will merge the two bone wings into one, beginning the fusion of wind and thunder. This process requires Fellow Daoist's wood-attribute spiritual energy to serve as a balancing force and mediate the harmony. Fellow Daoist Li, please prepare yourself," Feng Xi said, his tone somewhat more relaxed.
"Understood." Han Li said nothing more, replying only briefly. He rose slowly to his feet.
Seeing Han Li's composure, Feng Xi actually furrowed his brow, a flash of suspicion crossing his eyes.
He lowered his head in brief contemplation, then suddenly, without any warning, flicked his finger. A streak of white light shot toward Han Li with a sharp whistle.
Han Li's expression changed dramatically, but after a moment's hesitation, he did not dare move aside. He allowed the white light to penetrate his body, though his face turned extremely ugly.
"Senior Feng, what is the meaning of this?" He pressed his lips together and spoke in a dark tone.
"Don't worry. This Wind Spirit Force is not particularly harmful. It will gradually dissipate after a period of time. However, during that time, all I need to do is channel Magical Power into it, and you will wish for death rather than life. You'd best behave yourself and refrain from entertaining any other ideas," Feng Xi said with a sinister tone.