Han Li's thoughts raced like lightning, a flicker of contemplation crossing his face.
"No need to find it strange, fellow Daoist! To be frank, while this is indeed a Heaven Corpse Pearl, it is not the one I cultivate with. It is another corpse pearl that this prince obtained along with the Grand Corpse Art all those years ago—it has absolutely no connection to me. My Heaven Corpse Pearl is a matter of grave importance; how could I carry it on my person? It remains safely stored in my burial chamber." Upon seeing Han Li's reaction, Prince Xuanye hesitated for a moment, then actually offered an explanation of his own accord, an eerie look on his face.
"So that's how it is! In that case, I'll accept it without further courtesy… It seems your people have arrived as well. I'll take my leave first." Han Li showed a look of sudden understanding and nodded, but just as he was about to ask something further, his expression shifted. He raised his head to gaze toward the distant horizon and abruptly spoke his farewells.
The old demon was stunned for a beat, and before he could say a word, green light flashed around Han Li's body as he instantly transformed into a streak of green rainbow, tearing through the sky and vanishing.
The old demon stared at Han Li's departing figure, his expression alternating between dark and light, still half-skeptical of Han Li's words.
But moments later, eerie howls rang out from the direction of the ancient tomb, followed by boundless green clouds rolling in, thick with the overwhelming stench of corpse qi.
Upon seeing this, Prince Xuanye was overjoyed. Even if Kuangsha Shangren and the others returned now, he had nothing to fear from them.
He launched himself forward, transforming into a streak of gray light to meet them head-on.
…
Meanwhile, Han Li was fleeing at lightning speed without a moment's hesitation, making use of the little remaining time before his seal expired. He needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and Prince Xuanye, as well as the yellow-robed giant and the others who had left ahead of him. Otherwise, once his magical power was sealed again and he ran into any of them, he would be in serious trouble.
With Han Li pushing his current magical power to its absolute limit, his escape speed was naturally extraordinary. Before his power was sealed once more, he changed directions several times in succession and managed to flee over ten thousand li in one breath, leaving the mountain range entirely behind.
Only then did Han Li let out a sigh of relief. After getting his bearings, he calmly rode his flying treasure away from the mountains.
Two days later, Han Li descended beneath a small, uninhabited hill.
He then released several magical artifacts and carved out a simple cave dwelling at the base of the hill. Immediately afterward, he used a set of formation arrays to conceal the entrance.
Han Li himself walked directly into the secret chamber within the cave dwelling and sat cross-legged.
"So you intend to comprehend the Mingwang Technique here?" Throughout the journey, the Great Extension Divine Lord had allowed Han Li to act as he pleased without inserting a single word, but now he could no longer hold back.
"What, this place won't do?" Han Li replied noncommittally.
"Hmph! There isn't even a spiritual vein here. At the rate you cultivate, by the time you finish, my soul will have long since dissipated." The Great Extension Divine Lord said unhappily.
"Heh heh! Please don't be upset, Senior. I was only joking just now. I've already begun to study the Mingwang Technique on the road. The first layer of the technique isn't too demanding in terms of spiritual energy—I estimate it will take only about a year to master. But starting from the second layer, the difficulty multiplies. Moreover, the cultivation method requires a massive amount of spiritual power and can only be performed at a location with a spiritual vein. Otherwise, the time required would far exceed one's imagination. And to neutralize the backlash of the maleficence, one must cultivate the first two layers of the Mingwang Technique before one can barely begin to convert the maleficence to one's own use." Han Li chuckled lightly, seeming to be in reasonably good spirits.
"However, while there are many locations with spiritual veins in the Great Jin, every single one is already claimed. Even the poorest spiritual veins are occupied by someone. Since I intend to restore my magical power as quickly as possible, I can't afford to cultivate at a subpar spiritual vein. The best option would be to infiltrate some major sect and secretly cultivate the technique within."
"From the way you speak, it sounds as though you already have a plan." The Great Extension Divine Lord grew somewhat curious.
"You're right—I do have a target. And I don't even need to fabricate a new identity." Han Li said with quiet confidence.
"Oh? If such an opportunity exists, do tell." The Great Extension Divine Lord was even more intrigued.
"It's simple. Do you remember the land deeds I obtained from the Feng family's secret vault? Tucked among them was another document, recording several secret matters of the Feng family. As it happens, the patriarch of the Feng family had long ago prepared an escape route for his descendants—a completely separate identity, tied to a wealthy merchant family in Nanzhou. And this merchant truly exists, operating over a dozen well-known shops. But in truth, he is a hidden pawn cultivated by the Feng family all along, a mere front man. The real authority and the shop deeds remained firmly in the Feng family's hands. Now the Feng family has been completely destroyed, but this wealthy merchant is still alive. With him as cover, enrolling in a major sect in Nanzhou shouldn't be a problem at all. After two or three years, once I've neutralized the maleficence and recovered most of my vitality, I can calmly go about searching for materials." Han Li held nothing back, laying everything out in detail.