A short while later, the spiritual light on the jade slip's surface faded, and it returned to its unremarkable appearance.
Han Li flicked his wrist and tossed both the jade slip and a crystalline jade pendant to the girl in feathered robes.
The girl caught both items, swept them with a brief scan of her spiritual sense, and her face lit up with delight as she thanked Han Li repeatedly.
"Judging by the time, it seems we've both arrived a few days earlier than agreed. Why don't we use this gap to find somewhere to exchange some cultivation insights? I was fortunate enough to advance to late-stage Body Integration, but I spent too little time at the mid stage, and there are many aspects where I'd still like to consult Fellow Daoist Ye." Han Li said with a smile.
"Brother Han is far too humble. But being able to exchange insights with you is something I've long wished for. Besides, there are certain details about our trip to the Demon Realm that I'd like to discuss more carefully with you. I've carved out a stone cave at the far end of the valley — shall we go there?" The girl in feathered robes replied with evident interest upon hearing Han Li's words.
Han Li had no objections and agreed immediately.
The two of them soared skyward on streaks of light, transforming into twin rainbows that shot toward the far end of the valley.
……
At a great height more than ten li from the valley, a wisp of milky-white cloud drifted lazily through the void.
Within the depths of the cloud, two figures — one tall, one short — concealed themselves. The slender figure was shrouded in a layer of rosy mist, one hand holding a blood-glowing artifact while its mouth chanted an incantation.
The artifact's surface pulsed with fluctuating blood-light, and thumb-sized runes periodically drifted from within, lending the whole scene an exceedingly eerie air.
Suddenly the artifact blazed with blinding radiance. Under the rapidly swirling spiritual glow, it emitted a low hum and then shattered to pieces.
The one holding the artifact's expression tightened. A sweep of one sleeve, and the broken fragments vanished without a trace.
"Something's strange. My divination arts have failed on this person — I wasn't able to obtain any information at all." The slender figure sighed and murmured.
"Master, could it be that the spiritual herb you seek is on his person, which is why it's obscuring your divination powers? Or perhaps you didn't use your full ability just now?" the tall figure — a man clad in black armor — asked in surprise.
"The spiritual herb I'm searching for is indeed a heaven-defying treasure, but it couldn't possibly possess the ability to conceal one's very existence. Otherwise I wouldn't have traveled so far to search for it here. If he truly had the herb on him, at such close range I should have felt some faint resonance even without divination. As for my spell just now — although I could only employ a fraction of my abilities due to the previous divination, I still shouldn't have received absolutely nothing." The slender figure pondered for a moment, then shook her head.
"How could this person manage such a thing? With Master's divination powers, only a Mahayana existence should be able to fully block them out." The black-armored giant said, somewhat stunned.
"Mm, it is indeed strange. But there are other possibilities for someone to shield themselves from my divination to this extent. If one possesses equivalent divination abilities, or one of several legendary Heavenly Spirit Bodies, one could achieve the same result." The slender figure said slowly, lost in thought.
"Equivalent divination abilities? That hardly seems possible. Master, your divination power is such that only a handful of people in the entire Spirit Realm can compare. As for those legendary Heavenly Spirit Bodies — each one possesses heaven-defying power capable of overturning an entire realm. How could a mere human possibly have the chance to possess one? If this fellow truly had one of those constitutions, the human race would surely have hidden him away as a priceless secret. They'd never dare let him wander around freely." The giant sucked in a sharp breath, then shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum.
"Mm, I also think it's unlikely. In a realm like the Spirit Realm, the chances of a Heavenly Spirit Body appearing are less than one in a hundred. If that's the case, then this person must be carrying a Profound Heaven remnant or some kind of imitation Profound Heaven treasure. As long as the power of law contained within those remnants possesses a Heavenly Law capable of resisting divination, I would be unable to sense or divine anything. However, such types of Profound Heaven remnants are exceedingly rare — I've only heard of them and never actually seen one. But that's most likely the explanation, because nothing else makes sense." The slender figure said calmly.
Though she was brilliant in wisdom and vast in power, she could never have imagined that Han Li's body contained a complete Profound Heaven Treasure that had been self-sealed within him. Even someone with divination abilities stronger than hers would draw a blank when attempting to divine Han Li himself. Thus, she could only reason toward remnants or imitation treasures forged from such remnants.
"Last time, Master already recovered the remnant of the Profound Heaven Ruyi Blade. Yet this fellow still has other Profound Heaven remnants in his possession. This kid's wealth is truly extraordinary — on par with some of our clan's Holy Ancestors." The black-armored giant sucked in another sharp breath, but his gaze toward the distant valley immediately turned fiery.
"Don't forget the purpose of this trip. Until we've confirmed the whereabouts of the spiritual herb, do not touch this person." The slender figure glanced at the black-armored giant and said coolly.
"Rest assured, Master. I wouldn't dare act rashly." The giant shuddered at her words and hastily bowed his head.
"This human has already advanced to late-stage Body Integration. Even if you made a move, you wouldn't be his match. However, the last time we met, he was still only at the mid stage. Now, upon seeing him again, he's reached late-stage Integration. It seems he's not simply protected by Profound Heaven remnants — he must have other secrets as well." The slender figure also gazed toward the distant valley, a flash of something unusual crossing her eyes.