Mo Jianli's expression shifted slightly, his gaze fixed on the jade box with an almost feverish intensity.
Han Li merely watched with calm detachment, betraying not the slightest trace of emotion.
Xue Ran secretly let out a breath of relief.
At that moment, Hei Lin had already drawn the jade box into his hands. He stripped away the sealing talisman and lifted the lid, and a peal of thunder boomed from within as a crystal-clear jade tablet, roughly half a foot long, shot out into the open.
Electric arcs crackled across its surface while countless golden runes flickered in and out of visibility. The entire object radiated a truly astonishing bolt of thunder power.
"So this is the Three Pure Thunderbolt Talisman?"
Hei Lin murmured, his face barely able to contain his wild elation.
"Brother Ling, I too have brought three Asura Spider crystal cores. Might I also be allowed to take a look?" This time, Mo Jianli did not wait for Xue Ran to speak, but instead cut in and addressed the elder first.
Xue Ran's face darkened upon hearing this, and he opened his mouth as if to say something.
But at that moment, the white-robed elder waved a hand and replied with a hearty laugh: "Rest assured, everyone. Though the Thunderbolt Talismans I hold are not plentiful, they are more than sufficient to trade for the crystal cores in your possession. There is no need for concern."
"If that is the case, then I am at ease." Mo Jianli yawned, but with a flick of one hand he tossed over a green wooden box first.
Xue Ran snorted, unwilling to be outdone, and produced a storage bracelet, which he similarly flung forward.
Only Han Li remained seated where he was, as though truly unconcerned about the possibility of the Thunderbolt Talismans running short.
The white-robed elder cast a long, deep look at Han Li. With a shake of his sleeve he collected the crystal cores from both Xue Ran and Mo Jianli, gave them a cursory inspection, then flicked two more talisman-sealed jade boxes outward.
Both Mo Jianli and Xue Ran perked up at once, snatching the flying objects from the air. They tore off the talismans, lifted the lids, and could not conceal their expressions of extreme excitement.
"Fellow Daoist Han, could it be you have no desire to exchange for the Thunderbolt Talismans, or do you intend to leave empty-handed this time?" The Spirit King blinked and addressed Han Li with a smile.
"Leaving empty-handed is naturally out of the question. However, I would first like to ask — how many Thunderbolt Talismans does Brother Ling still have on hand?" Han Li smiled faintly and returned the question without batting an eye.
"A few? Could it be that Fellow Daoist has obtained a great many Asura Spider crystal cores this time?" The white-robed elder's expression finally showed a hint of surprise.
Han Li merely chuckled and offered no further explanation.
Xue Ran, Mo Jianli, and the others, upon seeing this, could not help but exchange intrigued glances.
After all, when they had originally obtained their crystal cores from the Asura Spider clan, the amount had been exactly three apiece. So how was it that Han Li now sounded as though he had additional ones in hand?
The white-robed elder studied Han Li's demeanor, pondered for quite some time, then finally relaxed and spoke: "To tell you the truth, Fellow Daoist, the Three Pure Thunderbolt Talismans can be considered among the Spirit Race's most treasured artifacts. I do not hold many. Aside from the ones already exchanged with Brother Xue and the others, I have only two remaining. If Fellow Daoist truly has that many Asura Spider crystal cores, you are welcome to take them all."
"Good, then I shall exchange for two more." Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, but spoke without the slightest hesitation.
Then he turned his palm over, and with a flash of spiritual light, a jade box and a crystal-clear small sword roughly a foot long appeared in his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, both objects transformed into two streaks of white light and shot forward.
The white-robed elder instinctively raised a hand and caught them. Rather than opening the jade box first, he curiously directed his spiritual sense toward the crystal sword.
"This is..."
In only a moment, the Spirit King let out a soft exclamation, and his gaze toward the sword suddenly sharpened with recognition.
"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist has figured it out. This flying sword was taken from a powerful enemy in the Small Asura Realm. The material used in its forging is precisely Asura Spider crystal core — and no fewer than three or four cores at that. Originally there were five swords in the set, but four were shattered in battle. Only this one remains relatively intact." Han Li explained in an unhurried manner.
Hearing this, Xue Ran and the others had something of an epiphany.
This flying sword was one of the five crystal swords that Elder Yi had used to wield the power of time.
At the time, four of the five had been destroyed by Han Li on the spot, but this final one had slipped free of control and plummeted to the ground, where Han Li had quietly collected it afterward.
Given how deep Elder Yi's involvement with the Asura Spiders had run, it was not unthinkable that he could have obtained so many crystal cores to forge flying swords.
Still, using crystal cores directly to forge flying swords was a remarkably ingenious notion.
As for the jade box Han Li had tossed over, it naturally contained the remaining three Asura Spider crystal cores.
The white-robed elder inspected each one carefully and found them all genuine. His face lit up with undisguised joy, and he cheerfully produced the final two Thunderbolt Talismans, handing them over to Han Li.
For him, the more Threads of Time he could refine, the better.
Of course, the Spirit King had no intention of reneging on his promise regarding the additional three treasures for each person.
He actually led the entire group to an underground treasure vault and allowed Han Li and the others to pick and choose at their leisure.
And so, this trip to the Spirit Race concluded with a result that left everyone thoroughly satisfied.
Having obtained what they desired, the group did not linger at Fuling. One by one, they took their leave of the Spirit King.
The white-robed elder exchanged a few courteous pleasantries but made no effort to press them to stay.
The four then split into two pairs and flew out of the Spirit Race's holy mountain in succession.
Once Han Li and Mo Jianli departed, they headed straight for where the Dark Spirit Sacred Ship was moored, along with Silver Moon and the rest.
Half a day later, the two descended into a hidden valley.
Silver Moon, Zhu Guo'er, Patriarch Shi, and the others were overjoyed upon seeing Han Li and Mo Jianli return.