After hearing the Song-surnamed woman's carefully worded remarks, Han Li nodded without pressing her further.
"Niece Song and Miss Mei Ning, it's just as well you're not going. The current state of affairs in the Ten Thousand Ridge Mountains is chaotic beyond measure. Even if I enter the Fallen Devil Valley, I can't guarantee I'll make it out in one piece. It seems Miss Zi Ling hasn't changed her mind — you still intend to enter the valley?" Han Li turned to Zi Ling and said lightly.
"As long as Brother Han is willing to enter the valley, I'm willing to take the risk. I have the utmost confidence in Fellow Daoist Han." Zi Ling gave an alluring smile and replied with composure.
"Since Fellow Daoist Zi Ling puts it that way, I won't try to dissuade you further. However, before we enter the valley, there are a few matters that need to be clarified and made perfectly clear." Han Li looked at Zi Ling without blinking and spoke steadily.
"That goes without saying. If Brother Han has any questions, please ask away." Zi Ling agreed without the slightest surprise.
"First, I need to confirm the authenticity of the Spirit Candle Fruit once more. I don't want to charge into the Fallen Devil Valley with high hopes only to discover it was all for nothing. Can Miss Zi Ling vouch for this?" Han Li's expression grew solemn.
"The Spirit Candle Fruit is absolutely real. This was personally confirmed by a Nascent Soul elder of the Ghost Spirit Sect who managed to escape the Fallen Devil Valley with his life all those years ago. Otherwise, the Ghost Spirit Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't have gone to such extraordinary lengths over the matter of the Fallen Devil Valley. I also have a jade slip here — it contains a recorded account of the elder's own verbal description of the Spirit Candle Fruit's location. That should be enough to prove whether this is true or false." Zi Ling had long been prepared for this question from Han Li. The moment he asked, she immediately produced a verdant jade slip from her storage pouch and handed it over.
Han Li took the jade slip and sent his spiritual sense into it, reading silently for a while.
It was some time before he withdrew his consciousness and returned the jade slip to her without betraying any emotion.
"According to what's recorded here, the Spirit Candle Fruit does indeed exist. However, the location described is deep within the Fallen Devil Valley, and the details are rather vague. With only these verbal descriptions, whether we can actually find the Spirit Candle Fruit is far from certain." Han Li furrowed his brow slightly, a note of hesitation in his voice.
"That's because the Ghost Spirit Sect elder stumbled upon the Spirit Candle Fruit's location only after his Nascent Soul had left his body. So it's perfectly natural that his memory of the position is somewhat hazy. That said, the record does mention several very distinctive landmarks. Finding the Spirit Candle Fruit shouldn't pose a major problem." Zi Ling explained, clearly afraid that Han Li might lose his resolve to go.
Han Li pondered the contents of the jade slip, his expression contemplative. He was evidently weighing the risks against the rewards.
"Even if we find the fruit, we still need to refine the Fate Creation Pill and consume it while inside the valley — otherwise the fruit's efficacy will be greatly diminished. Has Miss Zi Ling prepared the auxiliary materials for the pill refinement as well?" After a short pause, Han Li raised his head and asked another calm question.
Hearing this, Zi Ling was overjoyed. She quickly suppressed her excitement, her face radiant with light as she replied:
"The auxiliary materials for the Fate Creation Pill aren't easy to find, but over the past few years I've managed to gather enough for more than a dozen attempts. As long as we have the Spirit Candle Fruit and our luck isn't catastrophically bad, refining the Fate Creation Pill shouldn't be a problem at all."
"Since that matter is settled, I'll venture into the Fallen Devil Valley. But Miss Zi Ling, the dangers within the valley go without saying. Once we enter, within the limits of my ability, I'll naturally offer Fellow Daoist some measure of protection. However, if we encounter something that even I cannot withstand, you must also be prepared to protect yourself." Han Li's expression suddenly turned stern, and his tone grew flat and cool.
"That is only natural. If such a thing were to happen, it would simply be my own meager fortune at work. I would never dream of bearing any resentment toward Brother Han. Besides, I still have a fair degree of confidence when it comes to preserving my own life." Zi Ling answered without hesitation, the softness sweeping away from her bearing as a hint of steely resolve surfaced beneath.
Han Li blinked in mild surprise, then gave an approving nod at her words, his expression softening:
"Have the three of Fellow Daoists looked into how the Ghost Spirit Sect intends to enter the valley? On my way here, I heard that the Ghost Spirit Sect has actually been distributing Fallen Devil Tokens to restrict the number of people entering. That's rather peculiar. Given the current situation, whether several hundred cultivators enter at once or over a thousand, it wouldn't make much difference. It seems the method of entry has some kind of limitation. Otherwise, a single token costing tens of thousands of spirit stones — with such a windfall on offer, the Ghost Spirit Sect wouldn't fail to exploit it to the fullest."
"Brother Han truly lives up to his reputation — you've guessed almost exactly right." A flash of surprise crossed Zi Ling's face, and she broke into a radiant smile.
"Although Fellow Daoist Mei Ning and I didn't bother trying to extract the specifics of the entry method from that disciple — given that the information had already leaked — we did hear from him in vague terms that this time, entering the valley seems to require the combined strength of numerous Ghost Spirit Sect disciples and a massive expenditure of spirit stones, all to create an opening at a specific moment. As for the restriction on the number of entrants, that is apparently why it exists."
"Regardless of what method the Ghost Spirit Sect uses to get in, our Cloudy Rainbow Sect has been allocated three Fallen Devil Tokens this time. When I returned to the sect, I obtained one of them. Entering the outer valley shouldn't be a problem. As for the inner valley — that's fraught with difficulties, and no one can claim with certainty they'll pass through unscathed. But I believe most cultivators will confine themselves to searching for treasures in the outer valley. Those who dare venture into the inner valley should be Nascent Soul cultivators. Of course, there will certainly be some Core Formation cultivators hoping to take a gamble, but not many. In the outer valley, Fellow Daoist Zi Ling won't be in great danger and can manage on her own for the time being. But when we reach the inner valley…"
Han Li's eyes flickered, and suddenly his lips moved soundlessly — he had activated a voice transmission spell.
The Song-surnamed woman and Mei Ning showed no displeasure at this. After all, the journey ahead was fraught with mortal peril; a little extra caution was perfectly reasonable.