Storms Stir Beyond the Seas | Spiritual Milk and Soul-Nourishing Wood

Chapter 505: Storms Stir Beyond the Seas | Spiritual Milk and Soul-Nourishing Wood

The white curtain of water had already descended. Han Li watched the woman before him, his eyes regaining their cold, clear composure.

“It seems I’m not fated to feast my eyes. What a pity,” Han Li muttered to himself.

Yuan Yao’s cheeks flushed at his words, but she let out a tinkling laugh before pursing her red lips.

“Brother Han, didn’t you go to the fifth floor with those seniors? How is it that you’ve ended up here?”

As she spoke, she elegantly raised a jade-like hand to smooth her wet hair.

A flash of white light pulsed, and in an instant, her long tresses were bone-dry. A few stray strands brushed across her cheek, contrasting against her snow-white skin and adding a new layer of allure.

Han Li’s gaze betrayed a glimmer of appreciation.

In terms of pure beauty alone, this woman was among the finest he had ever laid eyes on. Every gesture she made was a pleasure to behold, enough to bewitch any man’s heart.

“I merely triggered a restriction and was transported here. I was just about to ask you, Miss Yuan, exactly where this place is.” Han Li’s gaze swept across her face, his expression calm and diplomatic.

“Triggered a restriction?” Yuan Yao’s eyes shimmered with playful light, a knowing smile curling on her lips. She clearly did not believe a word of it.

Han Li gave a nonchalant chuckle and simply stared back at her, unblinking.

A rosy tint crept up Yuan Yao’s cheeks.

His stubborn clinging was starting to give her a headache.

If it came to a fight, she had witnessed firsthand the terror of his insect-controlling arts. And her most proficient charm techniques seemed utterly useless against him.

She frowned delicately, then spoke with a hint of resignation:

“This is a secret chamber on the second floor of the inner hall. And you came out of that dilapidated teleportation formation? If I had known, I would have smashed it to pieces myself. Then I wouldn’t have been taken advantage of like this.” Having said this, she shot Han Li a resentful glare, clearly still irked that he had seen her naked form.

Han Li acted as though he hadn’t heard a thing, his face not betraying a single blush. He lazily stretched his limbs, pulled his feet from the pool, and put his boots back on.

Even that brief soaking had restored a portion of his magic power. Although he would have liked to soak longer, his priority was finding a way out and escaping the Void Heaven Palace as soon as possible.

Ignoring the great beauty, he turned and walked toward the stone room’s southern exit.

Peering out from the exit, he was met with a scene of utter chaos.

Beyond was a larger stone chamber. Inside lay the wreckage of a puppet, smashed to pieces. The pockmarked walls and floor testified to a grueling battle that Yuan Yao must have fought to reach this place.

On the far side of the room was a stone door, shimmering with a familiar white light. It was the exact same restriction radiance as the secret chamber doors from the first to the fifth floors.

Han Li hesitated, then walked over. After examining it for a moment, he retrieved the fragment of the Void Heaven Map from his person, infused it with spiritual power, and pressed it gently against the stone door.

A flash of white light flickered, but the door remained inert.

Han Li sighed. It was just as he had feared. Once a person was inside, using this map fragment to get out was impossible.

And he knew he lacked the ability to break this restriction. Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and headed back toward the northern exit.

“What are you doing?” Yuan Yao’s gaze followed his movements. She blinked her beautiful eyes, then suddenly asked in a cold tone, “That’s a powerful formation in there, not something just anyone can crack. Are you trying to break through and claim the treasure?”

“I want to leave the Void Heaven Palace. Do you have a better suggestion, Fellow Daoist Yuan?” Han Li replied without turning his head, already standing at the other exit.

“No. But the treasure in there is something I set my sights on first. Are you planning to fight me for it, Fellow Daoist Han?” Yuan Yao’s bright eyes flickered, a strange expression crossing her face.

“Claim the treasure? You’ve been holed up in here for quite a while already, haven’t you, Miss Yuan? If you could really break the restriction inside, you would have done it by now,” Han Li said bluntly, staring at the thick, azure light emanating from the chamber.

“I’ve been studying it for days, and I’ve already made some headway! Give me three to five more days, and I’m certain I can break through!” Yuan Yao’s face reddened briefly, but then she hardened her expression, adopting a stance that brooked no argument.

Hearing this, Han Li turned around with a slightly surprised look. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the woman in silence.

A flicker of unease stirred in Yuan Yao’s heart. After a brief moment, she finally relented:

“Fine! I’ll admit it. If I tried to crack the formation on my own, I might very well get nothing before the Void Heaven Palace returns. But if you were to join me now in a cooperative effort, I imagine it would save you a great deal of time, Brother Han.”

Han Li stood there, his expression unchanged, waiting silently for her to continue.

He knew full well that this beautiful woman still had more to say.

“But before we break the formation, I want to make a deal with you,” Yuan Yao said slowly, her eyes fixed on Han Li.

“What kind of deal? I’m listening.” Han Li crossed his arms, adopting a listening posture.

“If Brother Han is willing to give up the treasure inside, I am prepared to offer compensation.”

“Compensation?” Han Li’s expression was blank, betraying nothing.

Seeing his lack of reaction, Yuan Yao hesitated. But after a brief period of bowed-head deliberation, she suddenly lifted her chin, a look of determination flashing in her eyes.

“I am willing to gift you some ‘Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk.’ What does Brother Han think of that?” Yuan Yao said solemnly.

“Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk? You mean the legendary liquid where a single mouthful can restore all your magic power instantly, a single drop of which cannot be bought for ten thousand spirit stones?” Han Li’s expression shifted, showing genuine interest.

“Yes, that very essence. I am taking a risk by revealing this, but it is because I trust Brother Han’s character. You wouldn’t think of murdering me for the treasure, would you?” Yuan Yao’s eyes rippled as she stared intently at Han Li’s face.

From their previous interactions on the Ghost Fog and Lava River paths, she had concluded that while Han Li was no paragon of virtue, he didn’t seem to be a heartless, merciless fiend either. It was with this reluctant conviction that she had spoken these words.

Of course, if she had possessed anything else valuable enough to tempt him, she would never have uttered the words “Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk.”

Even so, one of her jade hands instinctively drifted to the storage pouch at her waist.

Though she was no match for Han Li, she still had one or two life-saving treasures of tremendous power, enough to deter him if he had any ill intentions. This was one of the pillars of her confidence.

Han Li rubbed his nose, remaining silent for a moment. Then, he abruptly turned his head to study the dragon-head relief on the wall, a contemplative look on his face.

Seeing this, a faint smile bloomed on Yuan Yao’s face.

“It seems Brother Han has already guessed. My Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk is the product of this spiritual spring’s accumulation over tens of thousands of years, yielding barely half a bottle. This proves, I think, that I am not trying to deceive you,” Yuan Yao said, her tone softening.

“True. With a large spiritual spring like this in a place as secluded as this, if the design is clever enough and no one else has been here, it could indeed generate some spiritual milk.” Han Li nodded calmly.

“Then what is your decision?” Yuan Yao asked, her face radiant.

“Can you tell me what treasure is hidden in there? Since you are willing to pay such a price, the treasure must be even more valuable.” Han Li’s voice was unhurried as he stared at her, his gaze growing dangerously cold.

The moment she saw that look in his eyes, an inexplicable chill ran down Yuan Yao’s spine, and her heart began to race.

“Brother Han is joking! This is my first time here as well. How could I possibly know what treasure is inside? You are overthinking it! Fine… fine! I’ll tell you the truth. I do know what it is, but while its value is not inferior to the Spiritual Milk, it is far more important to me. That is why I am willing to trade the Milk. Inside there is an unused piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood!” Yuan Yao initially tried to brush it off with a forced smile, but when she saw the coldness in Han Li’s eyes deepen, she hastily blurted out the truth.

For some reason, the mere thought of Han Li turning hostile made her heart pound in terror.

“One of the Three Divine Trees. A wondrous wood that can be worn on the body to nourish the soul and slowly strengthen the divine sense.” Han Li was stunned. After a long pause, he spoke in astonishment.

“Yes, that’s it. However, it is not the soul-nourishing effect I value, but its function as a vessel for a soul to dwell in, ensuring one’s consciousness does not dissipate.” Yuan Yao’s expression darkened as she spoke, her voice dropping.

“Soul-Nourishing Wood… Ten-Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk.” Han Li tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling of the stone chamber as he murmured to himself.