Chapter 541: Six Arms and Three Heads
After asking a few more questions about the Windbreaker’s Nest, Han Li casually handed a bottle of medicine pills over to Wen Siyue. Wen Siyue was immediately grateful and promptly entered seclusion to refine their medicinal power. Han Li then sealed himself off inside of another room and began studying the copper plate.
He carefully examined the item as he sat down cross-legged.
Only one side of the copper plate was inscribed with characters, the other was engraved with a bizarre depiction of a rather formidable looking monster. The monster had three heads with vicious eyes along with six arms raised towards the sky. It was unclear what it was supposed to be doing.
After looking at it for a moment with a frown, Han Li took out the old hide book with the nameless incantation and compared the characters that were inscribed. He discovered that the characters were largely the same except for minute differences. It seemed they shared an origin, but were written in distinctly different styles of writing.
Since he couldn’t find anything hidden on the surface, Han Li inserted his magic power into the copper plate without any hesitation.
Soon after it started to absorb his magic power, the copper plate let out a clear hum and started to tremble. It then brilliantly flourished with white light and beams of dense yellow light began to shoot out from the sides of the copper plate, projecting a picture onto the wall.
Han Li was delighted by the developments and became mesmerized by what he saw.
The image depicted a human-form demon beast, covered with scales and with a single horn on its head. It appeared exactly the same as the three-headed, six-armed demon beast on the back of the plate, but with only one head.
Just as Han Li was puzzled by this, the picture changed with a flash of light. It now depicted the demon beast sitting down cross-legged with its hands clutched in a strange hand gesture. Its entire body was contorted in a baffling position, leaving Han Li puzzled.
A short moment later, the image changed again, revealing that the demon beast had changed its hand incantation and its body contorted once more, a.s.suming another strange posture.
The images periodically s.h.i.+fted to reveal indescribable changes in hand gestures and posture as if it were cultivating some sort of technique. An hour later, the copper plate’s light dimmed and the images disappeared.
Han Li had counted thirty-six different positions that the demon beast a.s.sumed.
He rubbed his nose and looked at the item in his hand with an odd expression. Although he didn’t know what the characters on the copper plate had meant, he was able to tell from the pictures that this item wasn’t something for human cultivators. It clearly recorded a demon cultivation art.
Prior to this, he hadn’t known that demon beasts even cultivated. Weren’t demon beasts innately capable of absorbing spiritual Qi? Why would they cultivate? It seemed that cultivation arts should quite important to demon beasts that were capable of taking human form.
However, Han Li looked at the copper plate in his hands without knowing whether he should laugh or cry. Even if he could understand the words on it, would he dare to cultivate a demon cultivation art? Besides, he currently had no shortage of high grade techniques. The complete collection of Profound Yin Arts was still snugly placed inside his storage pouch.
With that thought, it was no wonder the dark-skinned cultivator had deliberately mystified the item during the trade meeting. It was completely useless! Han Li felt like a fool and grew gloomy.
Since the inscription on the copper plate was a cultivation art specifically for demons, he wouldn’t be able to decipher them no matter how many human jade slips he looked through. It seemed the contents of the old hide book were the same.
Han Li let out long breath and placed the two items into his storage pouch with a wretched expression before leaving the stone room.
Han Li felt somewhat disappointed after having his expectations dashed. However, his mood quickly adjusted as he made preparations to head to the Wondrous Depths. Acquiring the high grade Demon Echo Gra.s.s was currently his top priority. It was directly able to help him reach an entirely higher level on his path to Immortality!
After he consumed the rainbow beads, he could feel his cultivation apt.i.tude continue to change for the better over the years. Although he couldn’t compare to those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots or other outstanding geniuses, he was now able to absorb and refine spiritual Qi at the level of cultivators with three element spiritual roots.
The Heavenmend Pill truly deserved its reputation! Han Li’s chance at condensing a Nascent Soul was now a sliver higher.
When Han Li left the room, Wen Siyue was still in seclusion. He reckoned that she would need another three months in order to refine all of the medicine.
Han Li didn’t bother her. After some further thought, he left behind several magic tools along with the control incantations for the cave residence’s spell formations before departing from the island.
Han Li looked around while in the sky and determined his direction before flying off towards the Wondrous Depths.
Along the way, Han Li came across several demon beasts and ruthlessly exterminated them. As for any humans he saw, he ignored them and continued on his way.
Han Li eventually arrived at the vicinity of the Wondrous Depths after traveling for a month.
At that time, he started to conceal his aura and began to hide his tracks. As these seas are under the dominion of higher grade demon beasts, Han Li naturally had to be extremely careful. He didn’t dare to rely on his luck.
As expected, Han Li came across many demon beasts along the way, but with his remarkable concealment techniques, he was able to avoid their attention.
Several days later, Han Li stopped in the air and stared at a small island in the distance with a solemn expression.
The island was the grade eight demon beast nest that Wen Siyue had spoken of. Han Li didn’t dare to boldly rush into it. If the ancient Windbreaker Beast was present on the island, he would be certain to die. For this same reason, he only swept his eyes over the island, not daring to release his spiritual sense.
Han Li spotted a reef emerging from the ocean far from the island and placed a small formation on it. He then sat on it and quietly meditated as he kept watch on the island. He wouldn’t easily take action until he could predict the grade eight demon beast’s movements.
Unfortunately, the Rainbow Skirt Gra.s.s had no effect on demon beasts that were grade eight and higher. Otherwise, he would’ve already used the gra.s.s to lure the ancient Windbreaker Beast away, instead of choosing to bitterly stand watch here.
Day after day pa.s.sed with Han Li gazing at the island from the reef. Several months eventually went by without Han Li spotting any signs of demon beast movements.
He eventually grew dreary from the waiting.
‘Could it be that the developing demon beast isn’t on the island right now and the Windbreaker Beast abandoned its nest?’ Han Li suspiciously thought.
Yet another month pa.s.sed with no developments.
Helpless, Han Li finally came to the decision to enter the island and investigate. He wasn’t about to waste several years on the reef.
Early in the morning of the next day, just as sunlight began to illuminate the sky, Han Li restrained all of the spiritual Qi in his body and stealthily flew onto the island.
He had already observed the small island for several months and knew its terrain like the back of his hand. He flew halfway up the mountain and spotted a few boulders concealing a pitch-black cave, just as Wen Siyue had described.
Han Li narrowed his eyes. After placing several auxiliary magic techniques on his body and releasing his disguise, his body disappeared without a trace. Han Li then carefully entered the cave and slowly released his spiritual sense, occasionally probing his surroundings.
The cave was exceptionally deep, and the deeper he went, the more damp it became. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li stopped at a corner with a nervous expression on his face.
Han Li slowly closed his eyes and scouted forward with his spiritual sense. Shortly after, an odd expression appeared on his face. Han Li then gritted his teeth and hesitantly turned the corner.
Light suddenly s.h.i.+ned before him to reveal a huge natural cavern. It was at least three hundred meters wide and over thirty meters tall. The walls and the ceiling flickered with green light and it had a dark-blue pool of water at the center that appeared to be piping hot. There was strange vegetation growing around the pool.
When Han Li’s gaze fell onto the vegetation, he spotted several stalks of something short and jet-black. Excitement flickered within his eyes.
The stalks were the Demon Echo Gra.s.s that he was looking for!
Demon Echo Gra.s.s would only turn black when growing near grade eight demon beasts! It was grey when growing near lower grades. As Han Li gazed at the pond at the center, delight momentarily appeared on his face before it was soon replaced with solemnness.
If the Windbreaker Beast was in the cave, it would most likely be inside of the pool. Although he had swept over the pool with his spiritual sense, the pool was extremely deep. He had only inspected a small portion of it.
Han Li licked his lips and steeled his heart. His body blurred before reappearing at the side of the pool. He gently clapped his storage pouch and took out a jade box, he then quickly reached toward the ground with his free hand.
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