Chapter 255: Lying Low

Chapter 255: Lying Low

"I beg to differ, Fellow Daoist Wyrm 15. If it wasn't for you, the three of us may still not even have entered this valley yet, and that's a clear indication of how proficient you are at bypassing restrictions. If you can't open this box, then my chances of success are even slimmer. Surely you wouldn't force this thing onto me, would you?" Qilin 9 asked with a meaningful look in his eyes.

Han Li refused to budge, shaking his head in response. "You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist. I know what I'm capable of, and if I had to give a number, I would say my chances of opening this box are less than 10%. Given your cultivation base and status in the Transient Guild, you must have a large social circle, and surely there are experts in restrictions among your friends and acquaintances."

Qilin 9 was silent for a moment, then seemed to have arrived at some type of decision as he said, "You just want a few of these spirit treasures to make up for the losses you suffered earlier, right? How about this? Aside from this jade box and that failed pill, we can split everything else 60:40 in your favor. Surely that's sufficient compensation for you."

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but after some contemplation, he said, "I suppose I can accept that, but I'll have to go a step further. Among those materials and ingredients, those Horned Dragon Herbs and those lengths of Lightning Restraining Wood are particularly useful to me, so would you be able to hand them over to me? I can allow you to pick out items of equal value out of the rest of the things here as compensation."

"That's not a problem at all! You have my thanks, Fellow Daoist."

Qilin 9 cupped his fist toward Han Li in a salute upon hearing this, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a burst of golden light, claiming all of the treasures on the ground.

He didn't actually care much for the rest of the treasures, but the nine star golden sword and the antiquated golden mirror that had served as the cores of the array were extremely pure metal-attribute spirit treasures that were very compatible with his cultivation arts. All he had to do was refine them for 1,000 years, and they would become no less powerful than immortal treasures, and that was why he was so insistent on acquiring them.

Han Li also swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a burst of azure light that claimed the purple jade box and the failed dao pill.

The two of them then turned their attention to the spirit plants, materials, and Immortal Origin Stones on the ground, and it didn't take long before they split everything among themselves.

With that, the distribution of spoils was complete, and Qilin 9 flicked a finger through the air to release a ball of fire, which incinerated Ping Yaozi's remains into ashes, then said, "Alright, time is of the essence, so let's get out of this place."

Han Li's brows were slightly furrowed as he heaved an internal sigh, but didn't say anything.

The three of them quickly flew out of the valley as three streaks of light, and several months later, they emerged from the teleportation hall on Smoke Tomb Island.

"The mission didn't quite progress as planned, but thankfully, we were able to survive the ordeal. This is the reward for the mission. With this, we can go our separate ways."

Qilin 9 pulled out a pair of storage pouches as he spoke, then handed them to Han Li and Qilin 17.

Han Li examined the contents of the storage pouch briefly with his spiritual sense, then gave a slight nod before stowing it away.

"I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave now."

Qilin 17 also stowed his storage pouch away, then cupped his fist in a parting salute and flew away into the distance as a streak of yellow light.

"Fellow Daoist Qilin 9, now that I think about it, the reward for this mission doesn't match its difficulty. Back when you were accepting this mission, surely you would've detected that something was amiss, right?" Han Li asked.

"What are you trying to say, Fellow Daoist Wyrm 15?" Qilin 9 asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm assuming the actual reward for this mission is far greater than what you've revealed to us, right? In any case, I'll also be taking my leave," Han Li said in a meaningful voice, then flew away into the distance as a streak of azure light.

"Hmph, of course I wouldn't have taken on such a perilous mission without a reward of corresponding value! I didn't think that an itinerant cultivator with such terrible aptitude would have so many tricks up his sleeve. It appears I've misevaluated him," Qilin murmured to himself as he watched Han Li fly away into the distance, then vanished on the spot with a flash of golden light.

Meanwhile, Han Li was flying through the air with the purple jade box and the failed dao pill in his hands, and there was a faint smile on his face.

The refinement for the dao pill had failed, but it would still be a useful resource to be studied and examined.

As for the jade box, the restrictions on it appeared to have been quite profound, but in reality, during that earlier attempt to bypass the restrictions, Han Li had already thought of a way to break through them. Otherwise, there was no way that he would've agreed to take it.

Of course, he couldn't reveal this in the presence of Qilin 9 and Qilin 17. Otherwise, not only would that cause unnecessary trouble for himself, it would reduce his share of the spoils as well.

He was very curious about the contents of the box. Ping Yao was either a Heavenly Pill Master or very close to it, and such a prized possession of his had to have been extremely valuable.

With that in mind, a hint of excitement welled up in his heart, and he was itching to get back to his cave abode and unravel this mystery.

......

Several months later, in the Bell Toll Mountain Range.

Inside the main hall of the cave abode on the Crimson Dawn Peak, Han Li was seated on a taishi chair, holding a green teacup in his hand.

Meng Yungui and the others were quickly gathering before him, and after they had all arrived and paid their respects to him, Meng Yungui strode forward as he reported, "Elder Li, Sun Buzheng is currently at an important juncture in his seclusion, so he can't be present, but everyone else is here."

Han Li took a glance at his nine servants, all of whom had made significant progress in their cultivation since they had come here. Among them, the two with the highest cultivation bases were Meng Yungui and Sun Buzheng, but Meng Qianqian was the one who had been making the fastest progress.

At this moment, she was standing next to Meng Yungui, looking at Han Li with admiration glowing in her large and sparkling eyes.

"I'm going to have to leave the sect for a while soon, and I summoned all of you here today because I have some instructions to pass down," Han Li said.

Meng Yungui was rather taken aback to hear this, but he still cupped his fist in a salute as he prompted, "Please go ahead, Elder Li."

"Following my departure, the Crimson Dawn Peak will be temporarily closed to all visitors. During this time, all of you should also stay on the mountain unless it's absolutely necessary for you to leave. Just stay in your cave abodes and cultivate, and look after the spirit plants in the fields. As for cultivation resources, I'll give some to Yungui, so you won't have to worry about running out. Alright, you can all go now," Han Li said, then waved a hand to dismiss everyone.

"Yes, Elder Li," everyone replied in a respectful manner, then turned and departed from the hall.

Meng Yungui was waiting to be given the cultivation resources by Meng Yungui, so he naturally didn't leave, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Meng Qianqian turned to depart as well.

"Qianqian, you stay behind as well," Han Li suddenly instructed.

Meng Qianqian was ecstatic to hear this, and she stopped in her tracks before turning around and making her way over to her brother's side.

Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a blue storage pouch, which he tossed at Meng Yungui as he said, "I'm going to be away for quite a long time, but these pills should be enough to support everyone's cultivation needs. Just hand them out every once in a while. Also, there are some Origin Stabilization Pills in there, and you can give them to Sun Buzheng once he comes out of seclusion for him to consolidate his cultivation base."

Meng Yungui hurriedly caught the storage pouch as he nodded in response. "Yes, Elder Li."

"Alright, you can go now," Han Li instructed.

Meng Yungui took a glance at his sister with a slightly puzzled look in his eyes, but still did as he was told and departed from the hall.

"I went to take a look at the egg a few days ago, and I can tell you've been looking after it quite well. It still hasn't hatched yet, but even I was surprised by the abundant vitality within it," Han Li praised with a smile.

"Please forgive me for failing to hatch the egg even after so long," Meng Qianqian apologized as she lowered her head slightly.

"That's a matter that's mostly up to fate anyway, so there's no need to be overly critical of yourself. Just make sure to keep looking after the egg," Han Li said.

"Rest assured, Elder Li, I'll be sure to do my best," Meng Qianqian replied as she gave a firm nod.n/)o-(v./e).L--B)-1--n

Han Li smiled as he produced a small white jade vial that he tossed at her, and he said, "I obtained this vial of Fire Essence Pills during one of my earlier outings, and you're at a stage where you're ready to take it. It'll be very beneficial for your cultivation."

"Thank you, Elder Li," Meng Qianqian said with a wide smile as she hurriedly caught the vial.

"Alright, you can go as well," Han Li said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

However, Meng Qianqian remained standing on the spot with a rather hesitant look in her eyes.

"Is there something else you need to speak to me about?" Han Li asked.

"It's not been very long at all since you last left, yet you're leaving again, and you're closing the mountain to the outside... I'm just a little worried. Did something happen?" Meng Qianqian asked in a hesitant voice.

"What could possibly happen to a True Immortal like me, you silly girl?" Han Li chuckled.

"I see, it looks like I was just overly sensitive."

Meng Qianqian was very relieved to hear Han Li's response, and she promptly departed from the hall.

Following her departure, Han Li's smile immediately faded as a grim look appeared on his face.

He had brushed off her concerns, but in reality, her assumption hadn't been far from the truth.

It had only been three days since he returned to the sect, but close to a year had already passed since he left the Infernal Frost Continent.

Not only had Gu Jie's avatar identified them to be members of the Transient Guild, at the very end, it had also revealed to them that he was an elder of the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace, and that was certainly not good news for Han Li.

He had a feeling that staying in the sect at this time was not a wise move, so he had taken on a mission that required him to be far away from the sect so that he could lie low for a while.

With that in mind, he rose to his feet and exited the cave abode, then began flying down toward the foot of the Crimson Dawn Peak.