Without Yinyue needing to speak up, Han Li had already made out the rough outline of the map. It did indeed match the terrain of the Demonfall Valley exactly.
But every other part of the map was drawn with extreme crudeness — only the marked location was rendered in meticulous detail.
Not only was the marked section within the inner valley clearly shown, but the surrounding terrain was labeled with perfect precision.
After a quick mental calculation, Han Li realized the marked location was extremely far from his current position. And he had no idea what dangers might lie along the way.
Han Li pondered for a moment, then shook his head and put the map away.
He knew full well that whatever secret the marked location held must be significant. But until he had the Spirit Candle Fruit situation sorted out, Han Li had no intention of stirring up additional trouble. Whether he would eventually go investigate could wait until the Spirit Candle Fruit was in hand.
Yinyue seemed to have guessed what Han Li was thinking and said nothing more. Instead, Han Li turned his hand over again, producing the new jade box, and casually tucked it into the bamboo tube on his back. He addressed Grand Elder Spirit in a flat tone:
"The materials needed for the Seven Flames Fan — many are already extinct or simply impossible to find. But with your extraordinary talent, Senior, you might well be able to find substitutes. If it were truly possible to replicate a Spirit Treasure in today's world of immortal cultivation, this junior would be genuinely and completely in awe of you."
"Kid, do you take me for an idiot? I may be very interested in Spirit Treasures, but why on earth would I research a forging method for you for no reason? Just because of one empty compliment from your lips?" Grand Elder Spirit was silent for a while before replying with a cold laugh.
"A Spirit Treasure isn't something you can casually replicate. Your extraordinary talent is truly the greatest I've ever seen, Senior. But whether you can actually figure out a replication method — honestly, I don't have much confidence. However, if you really can manage it, I'll agree to any single request of yours within my power as compensation. What do you say?" Han Li showed no change in expression, his voice remaining calm.
Hearing Han Li's words, Grand Elder Spirit fell silent for another moment before letting out a cold snort and declaring with pride:
"Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures. I first came across information about them in the ruins of an ancient cultivator long ago, which was how I learned that such heaven-defying treasures exist. Naturally, I was quite curious about these artifacts that even ancient cultivators regarded with extreme reverence. From then on, I paid closer attention to this type of treasure. Unfortunately, information about Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures was incredibly scarce, and I never found much. Now that I've become this half-human, half-ghost existence — with only a few short decades before my soul scatters to nothing — I don't want to leave this world with regrets. So even though I know perfectly well you're using a goading tactic, I'll accept it anyway. Besides, all I need to do is find some substitute materials — not reinvent the forging method for a Spirit Treasure from scratch. How hard can that be? Just don't forget to grant me that one request."
"Good. Then it's settled." Han Li broke into a carefree smile, his eyes crinkling as he sealed the deal.
With such a remarkable figure here — someone who had even created the Grand Elder Art — Han Li naturally wasn't going to waste the opportunity.
He already had the Void Heaven Cauldron, a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure, in his possession, but who knew how many years it would be before he could open and use it. Moreover, for a treasure as heaven-defying as a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure, the more powerful ones naturally had far greater appeal.
Below, Grand Elder Spirit's voice fell silent — he had presumably opened the jade box and was already studying the forging method within.
Han Li's surrounding spiritual light blazed even brighter as his speed picked up and he surged forward.
…
Half a day later, when Han Li once again approached the mountain where the Purple-Striped Scorpions had their lair, Marquis Nanlong and the old man surnamed Lu were walking through an unfamiliar underground passage. It was pitch black and damp everywhere, and even with their cultivation levels, the two could only see things within a few zhang.
"Brother Nanlong, I truly wouldn't have imagined that in a place so full of molten rock, there could be such a damp, gloomy area. As for this Blood Curse Gate business — I'm about seventy or eighty percent convinced now." Lu Weiying followed a zhang or so behind Marquis Nanlong as he spoke in a measured tone.
"So Brother Lu was skeptical all along! You should know, when I and that thief surnamed Yun first found Cangkun Shangren's writings together, the Blood Curse Gate was never mentioned. Otherwise, the Ghost Spirit Sect would never have let this place go. The Blood Curse Gate is a secret passed down orally through my ancestors." Marquis Nanlong replied with a faint smile.
"However, if opening the Blood Curse Gate didn't require the power of two Nascent Soul cultivators, I doubt you would have brought me along, Brother Nanlong." The old man's eyes shifted slightly, and he suddenly grinned.
"You jest, Brother Lu. We've been friends for so many years — of course I'd bring you in on such a benefit. Why else do you think I kept this from that kid surnamed Han?" Marquis Nanlong laughed it off with a vague deflection.
"Then I thank Brother Nanlong for your kindness." After his brief probe, the old man wisely dropped the subject.
In a scenario where only two people were treasure-hunting, a subtle reminder was enough. He wanted Marquis Nanlong to know he was on his guard, lest the man try to cross the bridge and burn it behind him. He had no intention of foolishly tearing off the mask and fighting a pitched battle with the other in a place like this.
Marquis Nanlong understood the old man's intentions just as well. His expression remained unchanged on the surface, but inwardly he let out a cold snort.
The two continued in silence for a short stretch when a faint glow appeared up ahead. Both brightened immediately, quickening their pace as they entered a sizable stalactite cavern.
The cavern was over thirty zhang wide. Conical stalactites, each several feet long, covered the ceiling and floor, and the four walls glowed with a white shimmer. But what drew the most attention was a green pool roughly ten zhang across, sitting right in the center of the cave.
Aside from the water being a slightly emerald hue, the pool appeared entirely unremarkable.
"The Blood Curse Gate is really here?" The old man surnamed Lu looked around once more and, finding no trace of any restriction, couldn't help but ask.
Watching the old man — who had just been claiming seventy or eighty percent certainty only to turn skeptical now — Marquis Nanlong cast him a sidelong glance, a half-smile playing on his lips. "It's here, no mistake. But the Blood Curse Gate is such a crucial place that Cangkun Shangren naturally concealed it with restrictions when he left. All we need to do is remove them." He replied unhurriedly, his gaze settling on the green pool at the center of the cavern.
The old man surnamed Lu blinked, then, with a look of sudden realization, turned his own gaze toward the pool.