A low hum escaped his lips, and the light barrier around Han Li abruptly expanded to twice its size. Then a streak of white light shot out from his sleeve, circled once, and landed before him.
It was the snow-white little fox that Silver Moon had transformed into.
"There's too little time. We'll search separately for that thing," Han Li said swiftly. A faint golden ball of lightning materialized in his palm with a rumble of thunder, and without hesitation he flicked it backward.
With a thunderous boom, the ball of lightning transformed into a net of electricity that enveloped the little fox's body.
"Remember! This divine lightning won't last long. The moment you sense it weakening, return to the surface immediately. I'll be heading back early," Han Li said solemnly.
"Yes, Master. But what does this Marrow Demon Crystal actually look like? This little servant wouldn't know it," the little fox said, a pleasant young woman's voice flowing from its mouth, sweet and melodious.
"The Marrow Demon Crystal is pitch-black, resembling a crystal stone. The demonic qi contained within is astonishingly dense, making it very easy to identify," Grand Master Da Yan answered before Han Li could speak.
"If that's the case, then it's simple enough. This little servant will head out first." The little fox nodded, flashed with silver light, and dove into the stone platform, vanishing from sight.
Han Li wasn't idle either. He waved the jade scepter in his hand, and a faint layer of yellow light appeared over the light barrier. He and his shield sank beneath the platform without a sound.
The vast platform was momentarily deserted.
Time trickled past, the surroundings utterly silent. But the platform had become a domain of demonic qi — thick clusters of pitch-black energy so dense one couldn't see one's hand before one's face, like some netherworld abyss.
After an unknowable span of time, a sudden crack of thunder rang out, followed by a flash of golden light. Han Li materialized above the platform, enveloped in his light barrier.
He looked around but caught no sight of Silver Moon. After a brief moment of surprise, a flicker of worry crossed his face.
But then he suddenly raised a clenched fist and spread his fingers open.
In his palm lay a jet-black, translucent crystal no larger than a thumbnail — small and exquisite.
"Just as I predicted — a Marrow Demon Crystal really did form here. Your fortune is truly remarkable. This is something ancient demonic cultivators could only dream of. Even in their era, it was a treasure one could rarely encounter even if one sought it," Grand Master Da Yan said with a chuckle.
"Is that so? This thing is really that rare?" Han Li held the crystal up before his eyes and narrowed his gaze.
Only now did he have the time to properly examine it.
The crystal emitted no light whatsoever. Instead, its deep blackness gave off an eerie sensation, as though it were trying to draw one's very soul inside.
A chill ran through Han Li's heart. Not daring to look any longer, he hastily withdrew his gaze.
Just then, silver light flickered on the stone platform beneath his feet. The little fox, trailing a faint golden glow, shot up from the platform and plunged straight into Han Li's light barrier.
"If you hadn't come back soon, I would've gone to summon you myself! I'd expected you'd return before me. Don't tell me you found something too." Han Li waved toward the little fox at his feet, and a wisp of azure mist lifted the fox and delivered it right before his eyes.
The little fox said nothing, merely opening its mouth to spit out three dark, gleaming objects — Marrow Demon Crystals or something else, it was hard to tell at a glance.
"Good, well done." Han Li was somewhat surprised, then his face lit up with delight.
The little fox gave a very human-like smile before suddenly darting into his sleeve and vanishing from sight.
Han Li gathered the three crystals together with his own, took a jade box from his storage pouch, and arranged all four Marrow Demon Crystals neatly inside.
"This time, I really must leave," Han Li said evenly. Then the arcs of lightning around the barrier pulsed once, a tremendous rumbling rose, and Han Li rose slowly into the sky inside his protective shield.
His descent had been slow, and his ascent was no faster.
After flying upward for a full quarter of an hour, Han Li finally caught sight of that layer of white, hazy light barrier again — never having needed to use those demon-repelling treasures Wei Wuya and the others had provided.
In the blink of an eye, Han Li passed through the light barrier and finally emerged from the demonic qi.
He turned to glance at the light barrier behind him, withdrew the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning, and the golden arcs dissipated completely.
But instead of flying skyward immediately, he calmly regarded the light barrier, reached into his storage pouch, and drew out an object.
It was a tattered, incomplete little jade-green banner.
"Hm! This... isn't this the Yin Luo Banner from before?" Silver Moon exclaimed in surprise.
"Although all the demonic spirits and ghosts bound to this banner have been completely destroyed, the banner itself isn't terribly damaged — it's still a rare demonic treasure. I once tested it and found it could absorb ghostly qi to repair itself. Old Devil Hehuan's demonic banner earlier actually gave me the idea. Demonic qi and ghostly qi are both extreme yin energies of heaven and earth, and in a sense they share the same nature. With so much pure demonic qi here, it's the perfect opportunity to try restoring this banner. Even if it doesn't work, nothing's lost." Han Li spoke with composure. Then azure light blazed from his hands, and a layer of azure spiritual radiance enveloped the little banner in an instant before transforming into a streak of azure light that shot downward into the demonic qi below.
The spiritual light wrapping the banner was devoured instantly by the demonic qi, stripped away completely. The battered Yin Luo Banner was thus exposed, and the surrounding demonic qi surged in to engulf it entirely.
At this sight, Han Li formed hand seals with both hands, then pointed a finger at the distant jade-green banner.
The previously lifeless Yin Luo Banner erupted with brilliant green light. Then, driven by Han Li's incantations, the banner's form swelled wildly — in the blink of an eye it transformed into a massive green banner roughly ten feet long. Its surface, however, was tattered and torn, a truly pitiful sight.